The Stevens County Board of County Commissioners met in their first 2016 regular session Monday, January 4 with all members, Pat Hall, Dave Bozone and Joe D. Thomp- son present. Also present were County Clerk Pam Bensel and RoGlenda Coul- ter from The Hugoton Her- mes. County Counselor Paul Kitzke was not present. The following is just an agenda for the morning with a few of the unofficial high- lights. The agenda for the meet- ing this week was a short one again. It included Bills at 8:30; Lori Hensley at 9:00; Tony Martin at 9:30; and Josh Morris at 10:00. When this reporter ar- rived, the Commissioners were finishing going over the bills. Motion was made and passed to accept and pay the bills. Rodney Kelling brought in his department’s pro- posed budget. He talked about computers with the Commissioners. They vis- ited about fire equipment - you never know what the year may bring. Abengoa has some equipment but Rodney found out that it’s leased. Encumbrance was talked about. Joe would like to see all the departments’ proposed encumbrance be- fore making decisions in that matter. The subject turned to a new-to-the-de- partment ambulance. A couple companies have of- fered to bring out demos, but these would be above what Stevens County needs. It was agreed his budget looks good. The ambulance is needed. It was agreed to wait a month and see how it’s going. Rodney asked if they had noticed the big savings in the gas bill since the front remodeling. Next on the agenda was Lori Hensley with LARC DVS and Jandi Head with SW KS Sexual Assault Serv- ices. They presented details of their services for domestic violence victims available and being used by several southwest Kansas counties since 1981. They told of how in the past they have had to take victims all the way to Hays or Great Bend since Garden City no longer offers the services they need. They are in the process of putting together a program in coop- eration with Southwest Medical Center to have the use of their equipment and nurses so the victim will not be further traumatized by the travel time. This will be possible with funds from the state, federal and local gath- ered from the counties being served. That was the reason for their visit - to ask for Stevens County to add them to their budget and to help as they can this year. They have already worked closely with Sheriff Heaton, Police Chief Leslie, Patty Bultman at Peace House, Paula Row- den at the Health Depart- ment and the County Attorney in Stevens County. Commissioners agreed they think this is a really good service and to see what they can come up with. Pam reminded the Com- missioners that they had of- ficial business to designate different entities for the county. To designate a newspaper for the official county paper - motion was made and passed to disig- nate The Hugoton Hermes. Motion was made and passed to disignate Citizens State Bank as the primary banking service and First National as secondary. Mo- tion was made and passed The Stevens County Hospital Board met Mon- day, January 4 in the Community Room at the SCH. Present were board members Benny Cabrera, Kirk Heger, Milton Gille- spie, Patty Lahey, Seth Gillespie and Joyce Baughman. Dawn Maas, Jessica Reinerio, Dr. Samer Al-Hashmi, Dave Piper, Diane Mangels, Jennifer Featherston, Stacy Helget, Linda Stalcup and Marie Austin also attended. Diane Mangels first re- ported about the Human Resources Department. She said they had finished employee benefit enroll- ment in December, and stated county employees were signing up for bio- metric screenings in Jan- uary at Pioneer Manor. The screenings are pre- ventive in nature. Joyce Baughman asked about new CNAs from local classes, and those present agreed the Health Depart- ment may offer a CNA class in the spring if there are enough participants. Dawn Maas was next with the nursing report. She said the holiday sea- son had remained consis- tently busy, with more swing beds than usual as well. The Emergency Room has also been busy, and has likely increased since 2014, even with Abengoa closing down. Dawn also mentioned there has been much more pneumonia and less flu. Stacy Helget reported for the Clinic, saying much the same as Dawn, i.e. the Clinic has re- mained busy throughout the month with cases of upper respiratory distress. She also reported Stika Rapp will be back to full time next week. The board asked about Saturday clinic. Stacy and Dr. Sam were both in agreement that Saturday clinics are a definite asset to the com- munity. Saturday morning shifts for the clinic are split between Dr. Sam and Dr. McGroarty. Regarding new patients, Dr. Mc- Groarty had seven, Steika had 13 and Dr. Sam had 16 in December. Dr. Sam was present to discuss the medical staff. His report was more of the same; they have stayed very busy during the month of December and haven't seen any flu. He also said the numbers were good. Long Term Care Nurs- ing report came from Jen- nifer Featherston. Pioneer Manor had a surveyor come in due to a com- plaint about a fall. The Manor received four defi- ciencies, but their plan to revise the issues has al- ready been accepted by the state. The biggest change will be a shift in policies regarding psy- chotropic/hypnotic drugs - or sleeping pills. The state would like to see less residents using sleeping aids. Both Jennifer and Linda Stalcup agreed the change in policy will help the Manor and the resi- dents. The current census is 70, with a new admis- sion scheduled for Janu- ary 6. Jennifer and Linda also informed the board about the terrific amount of paperwork necessary for every resident in order to assure the best care is being rendered. For exam- ple, a 42-page document - the MDS - must be com- pleted properly, for every resident, twice a year, as a beginning tool to assess the care for residents. Michelle Martin came in as the operating room co- ordinator to get the an- nual approval for surgical policies. She reported in 2013, they had 125 cases; in 2014, they had 93; and in 2015, they had 150 cases. They have handled Used by permission from Scott Aust at the Garden City Telegram. AJ Madsen has been entertaining friends and family since he was old enough to stand on the dinner table and belt out a tune. “Oh yeah, since a tod- dler he would perform,” his mother, Becky Madsen said. “We’d be at people’s houses and we’d stand him up on the counter and he’d sing. He’s always loved to sing.” Now a senior at Hugo- ton High School, Madsen is headed to New York in February for the experi- ence of a lifetime - per- forming at Carnegie Hall. A.J., 17, was chosen earlier this fall to be a part of the 2016 High School Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall February 4-8, an honors ensemble program that gathers the highest rated high school performers from across the country, Canada and several other countries. More than 18,000 students auditioned for the honors program and just 750 were chosen. Over the course of five days, attendees will learn from world-renowned con- ductors and work with other top students and performers in vocal, band and orchestra music, culminating in a February 7 performance at Carnegie Hall. Madsen will sing with the Bass 2 section of the vocal concert, which is the lower of two bass parts. Generally, the Honors Program invites students to apply and submit audi- tion recordings after being nominated by a music teacher. Madsen was nominated by Hugoton choir director Trevor Waechter, who Madsen gave much credit to for encouraging him. Madsen said he re- ceived a letter from the program after last spring’s state KMEA (Kansas Music Education Associa- tion) contest and he sub- mitted the application material and audition at the end of June. Then October 31 - at 6:00 p.m. to be exact - Madsen received an email letting him know he had Commissioners agonize over Extension dilemma Madsen to perform at Carnegie Hall AJ Madsen The Kansas Highway Patrol is releasing pre- liminary data from its New Year’s and Christ- mas weekend holiday ac- tivity. The reporting period for the New Year’s holiday weekend ran from 6:00 p.m. Thurs- day, December 31, 2015, through 11:59 p.m. Sun- day, January 3, 2016. The reporting period for the holiday weekend ran from 6:00 p.m. Thurs- day, December 24, 2015, through 11:59 p.m. Sun- day, December 27, 2015. During the New Year’s weekend, the Patrol worked two fatal crashes, neither of which was alcohol-re- lated. During the Christmas weekend, the Patrol worked no fatal crashes. Information in the ta- bles is compared to the holiday weekend activity from the previous holi- day weekend. Please keep in mind, both of the previous holiday week- ends include one more day than this year’s hol- iday weekends. The 2015 New Year’s week- end activity included Wednesday, December 31, 2014 and the 2014 Christmas weekend ac- tivity reporting period included Wednesday, December 24, 2014. New Year’s Weekend A ctivity 2016 2015 Total Non-Alcohol Related Fatal Crashes 2 1 Total Non-Alcohol Related Fatalities 2 1 DUI Related Fatal Crashes 0 0 DUI Related Fatalities 0 0 DUI Arrests 26 26 Speed Citations 785 915 Speed Warnings 609 661 Adult Seatbelt Citations 90 137 Teen Seatbelt Citations 5 7 Child Restraint Citations 15 20 Motorists Assisted 703 1,152 Christmas Weekend Activity 2015 2014 Total Non-Alcohol Related Fatal Crashes 0 1 Total Non-Alcohol Related Fatalities 0 1 DUI Related Fatal Crashes 0 1 DUI Related Fatalities 0 1 DUI Arrests 7 17 Speed Citations 550 642 Speed Warnings 479 641 Adult Seatbelt Citations 58 70 Teen Seatbelt Citations 1 3 Child Restraint Citations 9 16 Motorists Assisted 731 988 This January, during Na- tional Blood Donor Month, the American Red Cross en- courages people to roll up their sleeves to give blood to help maintain a sufficient blood supply for patients. The American Red Cross will be in Hugoton January 12, 2016 from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at St Helen Catholic Church at 1011 Jefferson. Since 1970, National Blood Donor Month has been observed in January to not only honor blood and platelet donors, but also to help increase donations during the winter months. Maintaining a sufficient blood supply for patients is difficult at this time of year because extreme winter weather and seasonal illnesses often impact donor turnout. Karla Essmiller became a blood donor in college, but the importance of giving blood hit home when sev- eral family members had medical emergencies. “It only takes once sitting in a hospital, praying that your loved one will live through the day, to know how thankful you are for every single thing done to help them,” she said. “Donating blood is a simple gift that I can make that may help up to three people live another day. That makes me feel like a hero.” The Red Cross encour- ages eligible donors to re- solve to give blood regularly, beginning in January. Donors with all blood types are needed, especially those with types AB, O, B nega- tive and A negative. To make an appointment to donate blood, download the free Red Cross Blood Donor App from app stores, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Submitted by the American Red Cross. Hospital Board discusses busy holiday season Gideon Bibles were brought to the new Best Western Plus Stevens County Inn to be placed in each of the 56 rooms. Left to right are volunteers Carla Hanson and Rick Hanson, both of Liberal, Stevens County Inn General Manager Rohit “Roy” Bombaywala, and Mike Smith, Virgea Smith, Walter McClure and Dorothy McClure, all of Hugoton. KHP releases holiday stats Donate blood Tuesday, January 12 Continued to page 3 Continued to page 4 Continued to page 3 The Hermes Hugoton Thursday, January 7, 2016 Volume 129, Number 1 12 Pages, 69 Cents Plus Tax Per Copy
Transcript
The Stevens CountyBoard of County Commissioners met in theirfirst 2016 regular sessionMonday, January 4 with allmembers, Pat Hall, DaveBozone and Joe D. Thomp-son present. Also presentwere County Clerk PamBensel and RoGlenda Coul-ter from The Hugoton Her-mes. County CounselorPaul Kitzke was not present.
The following is just anagenda for the morning witha few of the unofficial high-lights.
The agenda for the meet-ing this week was a shortone again. It included Billsat 8:30; Lori Hensley at9:00; Tony Martin at 9:30;and Josh Morris at 10:00.
When this reporter ar-rived, the Commissionerswere finishing going over thebills. Motion was made andpassed to accept and paythe bills.
Rodney Kelling broughtin his department’s pro-posed budget. He talkedabout computers with theCommissioners. They vis-ited about fire equipment -you never know what theyear may bring. Abengoahas some equipment butRodney found out that it’s
leased. Encumbrance wastalked about. Joe would liketo see all the departments’proposed encumbrance be-fore making decisions inthat matter. The subjectturned to a new-to-the-de-partment ambulance. Acouple companies have of-fered to bring out demos,but these would be abovewhat Stevens County needs.It was agreed his budgetlooks good. The ambulanceis needed. It was agreed towait a month and see howit’s going. Rodney asked ifthey had noticed the bigsavings in the gas bill sincethe front remodeling.
Next on the agenda wasLori Hensley with LARCDVS and Jandi Head withSW KS Sexual Assault Serv-ices. They presented detailsof their services for domesticviolence victims availableand being used by severalsouthwest Kansas countiessince 1981. They told of howin the past they have had totake victims all the way toHays or Great Bend sinceGarden City no longer offersthe services they need. Theyare in the process of puttingtogether a program in coop-eration with SouthwestMedical Center to have the
use of their equipment andnurses so the victim will notbe further traumatized bythe travel time. This will bepossible with funds from thestate, federal and local gath-ered from the counties beingserved. That was the reasonfor their visit - to ask forStevens County to add themto their budget and to helpas they can this year. Theyhave already worked closelywith Sheriff Heaton, PoliceChief Leslie, Patty Bultmanat Peace House, Paula Row-den at the Health Depart-ment and the CountyAttorney in Stevens County.Commissioners agreed theythink this is a really goodservice and to see what theycan come up with.
Pam reminded the Com-missioners that they had of-ficial business to designatedifferent entities for thecounty. To designate anewspaper for the officialcounty paper - motion wasmade and passed to disig-nate The Hugoton Hermes.Motion was made andpassed to disignate CitizensState Bank as the primarybanking service and FirstNational as secondary. Mo-tion was made and passed
The Stevens CountyHospital Board met Mon-day, January 4 in theCommunity Room at theSCH. Present were boardmembers Benny Cabrera,Kirk Heger, Milton Gille-spie, Patty Lahey, SethGillespie and JoyceBaughman. Dawn Maas,Jessica Reinerio, Dr.Samer Al-Hashmi, DavePiper, Diane Mangels,Jennifer Featherston,Stacy Helget, Linda Stalcup and Marie Austinalso attended.
Diane Mangels first re-ported about the HumanResources Department.She said they had finishedemployee benefit enroll-ment in December, andstated county employeeswere signing up for bio-metric screenings in Jan-uary at Pioneer Manor.The screenings are pre-ventive in nature. JoyceBaughman asked aboutnew CNAs from localclasses, and those presentagreed the Health Depart-ment may offer a CNAclass in the spring if thereare enough participants.
Dawn Maas was nextwith the nursing report.She said the holiday sea-son had remained consis-tently busy, with moreswing beds than usual aswell. The EmergencyRoom has also been busy,and has likely increasedsince 2014, even withAbengoa closing down.Dawn also mentionedthere has been much morepneumonia and less flu.
Stacy Helget reportedfor the Clinic, sayingmuch the same as Dawn,i.e. the Clinic has re-mained busy throughoutthe month with cases ofupper respiratory distress.She also reported StikaRapp will be back to fulltime next week. The boardasked about Saturdayclinic. Stacy and Dr. Samwere both in agreementthat Saturday clinics are adefinite asset to the com-munity. Saturday morningshifts for the clinic aresplit between Dr. Sam andDr. McGroarty. Regardingnew patients, Dr. Mc-Groarty had seven, Steikahad 13 and Dr. Sam had16 in December.
Dr. Sam was present todiscuss the medical staff.
His report was more of thesame; they have stayedvery busy during themonth of December andhaven't seen any flu. Healso said the numberswere good.
Long Term Care Nurs-ing report came from Jen-nifer Featherston. PioneerManor had a surveyorcome in due to a com-plaint about a fall. TheManor received four defi-ciencies, but their plan torevise the issues has al-ready been accepted bythe state. The biggestchange will be a shift inpolicies regarding psy-chotropic/hypnotic drugs- or sleeping pills. Thestate would like to see lessresidents using sleepingaids. Both Jennifer andLinda Stalcup agreed thechange in policy will help
the Manor and the resi-dents. The current censusis 70, with a new admis-sion scheduled for Janu-ary 6. Jennifer and Lindaalso informed the boardabout the terrific amountof paperwork necessaryfor every resident in orderto assure the best care isbeing rendered. For exam-ple, a 42-page document -the MDS - must be com-pleted properly, for everyresident, twice a year, as abeginning tool to assessthe care for residents.
Michelle Martin came inas the operating room co-ordinator to get the an-nual approval for surgicalpolicies. She reported in2013, they had 125 cases;in 2014, they had 93; andin 2015, they had 150cases. They have handled
Used by permission fromScott Aust at the GardenCity Telegram.
AJ Madsen has beenentertaining friends andfamily since he was oldenough to stand on thedinner table and belt out atune.
“Oh yeah, since a tod-dler he would perform,”his mother, Becky Madsensaid. “We’d be at people’shouses and we’d standhim up on the counter andhe’d sing. He’s alwaysloved to sing.”
Now a senior at Hugo-ton High School, Madsenis headed to New York inFebruary for the experi-ence of a lifetime - per-forming at Carnegie Hall.
A.J., 17, was chosenearlier this fall to be a partof the 2016 High SchoolHonors Performance Series at Carnegie HallFebruary 4-8, an honorsensemble program thatgathers the highest ratedhigh school performersfrom across the country,Canada and several othercountries.
More than 18,000 students auditioned forthe honors program andjust 750 were chosen.
Over the course of fivedays, attendees will learnfrom world-renowned con-ductors and work withother top students andperformers in vocal, bandand orchestra music, culminating in a February7 performance at CarnegieHall. Madsen will singwith the Bass 2 section ofthe vocal concert, which isthe lower of two bassparts.
Generally, the HonorsProgram invites studentsto apply and submit audi-tion recordings after beingnominated by a music
teacher. Madsen wasnominated by Hugotonchoir director TrevorWaechter, who Madsengave much credit to for encouraging him.
Madsen said he re-ceived a letter from theprogram after last spring’sstate KMEA (KansasMusic Education Associa-tion) contest and he sub-mitted the applicationmaterial and audition atthe end of June.
Then October 31 - at6:00 p.m. to be exact -Madsen received an emailletting him know he had
Commissioners agonize over Extension dilemma
Madsen to perform at Carnegie Hall
AJ Madsen
The Kansas HighwayPatrol is releasing pre-liminary data from itsNew Year’s and Christ-mas weekend holiday ac-tivity. The reportingperiod for the New Year’sholiday weekend ranfrom 6:00 p.m. Thurs-day, December 31, 2015,through 11:59 p.m. Sun-day, January 3, 2016.The reporting period forthe holiday weekend ranfrom 6:00 p.m. Thurs-day, December 24, 2015,through 11:59 p.m. Sun-day, December 27, 2015.
During the New Year’sweekend, the Patrolworked two fatalcrashes, neither ofwhich was alcohol-re-lated. During theChristmas weekend, thePatrol worked no fatalcrashes.
Information in the ta-bles is compared to theholiday weekend activityfrom the previous holi-day weekend. Pleasekeep in mind, both of theprevious holiday week-ends include one moreday than this year’s hol-iday weekends. The2015 New Year’s week-end activity includedWednesday, December31, 2014 and the 2014Christmas weekend ac-tivity reporting periodincluded Wednesday,December 24, 2014.
New Year’s WeekendA ctivity 2016 2015Total Non-Alcohol RelatedFatal Crashes 2 1Total Non-Alcohol Related Fatalities 2 1DUI Related Fatal Crashes
This January, during Na-tional Blood Donor Month,the American Red Cross en-courages people to roll uptheir sleeves to give blood tohelp maintain a sufficientblood supply for patients.The American Red Crosswill be in Hugoton January12, 2016 from 12:00 p.m. to5:00 p.m. at St HelenCatholic Church at 1011Jefferson.
Since 1970, NationalBlood Donor Month hasbeen observed in Januaryto not only honor blood andplatelet donors, but also tohelp increase donationsduring the winter months.Maintaining a sufficientblood supply for patients isdifficult at this time of yearbecause extreme winterweather and seasonal illnesses often impact donorturnout.
Karla Essmiller became ablood donor in college, butthe importance of givingblood hit home when sev-
eral family members hadmedical emergencies. “Itonly takes once sitting in ahospital, praying that yourloved one will live throughthe day, to know howthankful you are for everysingle thing done to helpthem,” she said. “Donatingblood is a simple gift that Ican make that may help upto three people live anotherday. That makes me feellike a hero.”
The Red Cross encour-ages eligible donors to re-solve to give blood regularly,beginning in January.Donors with all blood typesare needed, especially thosewith types AB, O, B nega-tive and A negative.
To make an appointmentto donate blood, downloadthe free Red Cross BloodDonor App from app stores,visit redcrossblood.org orcall 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
Submitted by the American Red Cross.
Hospital Board discusses busy holiday season
Gideon Bibles were brought to the new BestWestern Plus Stevens County Inn to be placed in each of the 56 rooms. Left to right are volunteers Carla Hanson and Rick Hanson,
both of Liberal, Stevens County Inn GeneralManager Rohit “Roy” Bombaywala, and MikeSmith, Virgea Smith, Walter McClure andDorothy McClure, all of Hugoton.
KHP releases holiday stats
Donate blood Tuesday, January 12
Continued to page 3
Continued to page 4
Continued to page 3
The
HermesHugoton
Thursday, January 7, 2016Volume 129, Number 1
12 Pages, 69 Cents Plus Tax Per Copy
The Hugoton Hermes Thursday, January 7, 2016 Page 2
Death has claimed the lifeof Edward Hanlon of Turpin,Ok. Mr. Hanlon passed fromthis life Thursday December31, 2015 at the age of 88.
He was born April 28, 1927in Apache, Ok. He marriedMildred “Sue” Patten July 1,1951. She survives. Mr. Hanlon served with theUnited States Army in Germany and France in WorldWar II. He was a retired localbusiness owner of Ed’s Diesel
Service. Besides his wife, Edward isalso survived by three children,David and Donna Hanlon ofMagnolia, Tx., Richard andTim Hanlon of Chinook, Wa.and Jackie and Bob Wesley ofTurpin; four grandchildren,Michael and Christina Wesleyof Liberal, John Wesley ofCheyenne, Wy., Bobby Wesleyof Turpin and Angela andJosiah Smiddy of Turpin;three great grandchildren; andhis sister Ellen Morrison ofConawango Valley, N.Y. Memorial services were at-tended Saturday, January 2 at Miller Mortuary Chapel inLiberal. The family suggests memo-rials to Thomas E. Creek Hos-pice Organization of Amarillo,Tx. Cremation has taken place. Friends may send condo-lences to the family throughEdward's tribute Web page atmillermortuary.net.
Edward Hanlon
Epifania CometaStevens County resident
Epifania Fontabla Cometapassed from her earthly lifeFriday, December 25, 2015at Stevens County Hospitalin Hugoton at the age of 81.
Epifania was born July12, 1934 at Tablas Island,Philippines. She had been aresident of Stevens Countyfor eight and a half years.
Epifania was preceded indeath by her mother MaximaFernandez; father JuanFontabla; two brothers; threesisters; husband Felix RetaCometa; and son SamsonCometa.
Survivors include herdaughter Eunice Luncefordof Hugoton; granddaughterEana Castro of Hugoton;
David Cometa, JonathanCometa, Phoebe Hourani,Caleb Cometa, JushuaCometa, James Cometa, andJohn Cometa all in thePhilippines; a daughter inAustria, Grace Moestl andson-in-law Freddie and twogranddaughters and onegrandson; younger brotherDominique Fontabla and sis-ter-in-law LuningningFontabla; four nephews,Adriel, Roy, Junior and Tonyof Grand Prairie, Tx.; nieceSonia Heebner of Houston,Tx.; eight great nieces andnephews; granddaughter,Monique Hourani; greatgrandson Bashar of Dubai,UAE; grandson Mazin ofLebanon; younger sisterLinda Revert and brother-in-law Darrell Revert of the Vil-lages, Florida; nephew BillyRevert of Orlando, Fl.; and 14 grandchildren in thePhilippines.
Memorial service will be atthe Assembly of God Churchin Hugoton, January 9 at11:00 a.m.
Friends and family gath-ered Tuesday afternoon to remember and honor DeloresF. Morgan. Mrs. Morganpassed away Friday, January1, 2016 at Pioneer Manor inHugoton. She was 82.
The daughter of RayKallenbach and the formerClaudine Jackson, she wasborn February 23, 1933 atHill City.
She and Harold Morganwere married February 22,1951 in Rolla. This nearly 65year marriage was celebratedwith love and three childrenwere born of this union Connie, Ronald and Michael.
Delores was an Avon territory sales representative17 years in Denver, Co., acommercial sales broker anda broker for Fidelity Invest-ments.
Survivors include herhusband Harold Morgan ofHugoton; two sons, Ronald
Morgan and partner Gaylaand Michael Morgan and wifeEmily; daughter ConnieMcPherson and husbandCharles; brother CarrollKallenbach and wife Charlotte of Rolla; her eightgrandchildren; 14 greatgrandchildren; one greatgreat grandchild; and manyother relatives and friends.
She was preceded indeath by her parents and sister Maxine Edelman.
Graveside services wereattended Tuesday afternoon,January 5 at the Rolla Cemetery. Paul’s–Robson Funeral Home was in chargeof arrangements.
A memorial has been established for theAlzheimer’s research ordonor’s choice. Memorialsmay be mailed to Paul’s–Robson Funeral Home, POBox 236, Hugoton, Ks.67951.
Delores Morgan
The death of Elizabeth M.“Bessie” Fetsch has beenlearned. Mrs. Fetsch passedfrom this life Tuesday, December 29, 2015 at South-west Medical Center in Liberal. She was 93.
Born March 3, 1922 inRed Cloud, Ne., she was thedaughter of Vencil Maruskaand the former Marie Kafka.She attended school in RedCloud.
March 7, 1943, Bessiemarried Thaddeus T. Sperryat Superior, Ne. He precededher in death April 17, 1972.
December 9, 1978, shemarried John Edward Fetschat Liberal. He preceded her indeath December 9, 1982.She was also preceded indeath by her parents; fivebrothers; five sisters; onestepdaughter; one stepgrandson; and one greatgranddaughter.
Bessie worked as aNurse’s Aide at the Brod-stone Hospital in Superior.
When she moved to Liberal,she cleaned homes, workedat Southwest Medical Centeras a Nurse’s Aide, PanhandleEastern Pipeline Companycleaning offices, switchboardoperator, mail clerk and wasa homemaker. She was a res-ident of Liberal for 57 years.
Mrs. Fetsch was a memberof St. Anthony of PaduaCatholic Church. She enjoyed gardening, sewingand painting and was wellknown for her homemadecinnamon rolls.
Survivors include her twosons, James R. Sperry andwife Gay of Thornton, Co.and Thad A. Sperry and wifeKelly of Bethany, Ok.; daugh-ter Therese M. Symons andhusband Bill of Las Vegas,Nv.; her 11 grandchildren;and 33 great grandchildren.
Funeral Mass was attended Monday morning,January 4 at the St. Anthonyof Padua Catholic Churchwith Fr. Jim Dieker presid-ing. Inurnment followed inLiberal Cemetery.
Memorial contributionsmay be sent to St. Anthony ofPadua Catholic Church incare of the Brenneman Funeral Home, 1212 WestSecond, Liberal, Ks. 67901.
Condolences may be sentto the family at www.brennemanfuneralhome.com
Elizabeth “Bessie” Fetsch Word has been received ofthe death of Charles Andrew''Andy' Alexander of Dumas,Tx. Mr. Alexander passedaway Wednesday, December23, 2015 at the age of 89.
Andy was born February17, 1926 to Bill Alexanderand the former Ruby Fisk inVincent, Ok. He was aDumas High School graduateand a United States NavyVeteran. He married Lois Emersonin 1944 and she precededhim in death in 1999. Andy retired from Panhan-dle Eastern Pipeline after 32years of service. One of hisfavorite hobbies was makingGrandpa Andy's Beef Jerky. In April of 2002, Andy remarried Norma Sherley. Mr. Alexander was a 32ndDegree Mason and a memberof the Masonic Lodge # 1009
and the VFW Post 9022. Heattended Bible BaptistChurch and will be dearlymissed. Those preceding Andy indeath were his first wife Lois;two brothers, Leroy andSylvester Alexander; sisterEstelee Smith; and one step-son, Darryl Fagan. Survivors include his wifeNorma of the home; sisterAnn Ballard and husbandJames of Dumas; two sons,Bob Alexander and wife Sheryl of Edmond, Ok. andRon Alexander and wife Bonnie of Denison, Tx.; step-son Allen Fagan and wifeTish of Plano; stepdaughterDenise Norman and husbandStanley of Dumas; ten grand-children; and 13 great grand-children. Funeral services were attended Saturday morning,January 2 at Morrison Memorial Chapel with Rev.Johnny Widener, pastor ofBible Baptist Church, officiating. Interment followed at Northlawn Memo-rial Gardens. Arrangementswere entrusted to MorrisonFuneral Directors of Dumas. The family suggests memorials be to the VFW,330 West First, Dumas, Tx.79029.
Charles “Andy” Alexander
Services for Robert Shoemaker of Big Bow wereattended Tuesday morning.Mr. Shoemaker passed fromthis life Thursday, December31, 2015 at his residence. Hewas 90.
The son of Howard Shoemaker and the formerEsther Cora Richardson, hewas born February 10, 1925in Liberal.
December 22, 1946,Robert married Betty Butlerin Liberal.
Mr. Shoemaker was amember of the MasonicLodge of Hooker, Ok. From1942 to 1946 he served hiscountry in the United StatesNavy.
Survivors include his wifeBetty Shoemaker of Big Bow;four sons, Joe Shoemakerand wife Judy of Lebo, DanShoemaker and wife Karen ofOzark, Mo., Sam Shoemaker
and husband Terry of Alton,Il. and John Shoemaker ofBig Bow; daughter SherryThompson and husbandHarrold of Ulysses; his twobrothers, Stanley Shoemakerof Conroe, Tx. and Ted Shoemaker of Illinois; a sis-ter, Helen Smith of Pampa,Tx.; 12 grandchildren; 18great grandchildren; andother relatives and friends.
Robert was preceded indeath by his parents and abrother, Tom Shoemaker.
Graveside services wereattended Tuesday morning,January 5 at Johnson Cemetery under the directionof Grant County FuneralHome of Ulysses.
A memorial has been es-tablished for Masonic Lodge441 of Johnson. Memorialsmay be mailed to GrantCounty Funeral Home, 218S. Main, Ulysses, Ks. 67880.
Robert Shoemaker
Monday, December 21, 2015• Vehicle Unlock, 1100 Block South
Washington, Citizen Assist, Ser-geant Johnson
• Dog Complaint, 800 Block SouthMonroe, Officer Lamatsch
Tuesday, December 22, 2015• Welfare Check, 600 Block South
Harrison, All Okay, Officer CraneWednesday, December 23, 2015• Dog at Large, 400 Block South Jef-
ferson, Dog Impounded, SergeantJohnson
• Released Dog to Owner, 1600 BlockSouth Washington, Public Service,Sergeant Johnson
• Non Injury Accident, 300 BlockSouth Harrison, Took Report, Offi-cer Lamatsch
Thursday, December 24, 2015• NO NEWSFriday, December 25, 2015• Vehicle Unlock, 500 Bock West
Eleventh, Citizen Assist, OfficerCrane
• Dog at Large, 300 Block SouthMadison, Dog Impounded, OfficerCrane
Former Moscow residentShirley D. Caudill, age 77,passed from this life Sunday,January 3, 2016 at The Legacyat Park View in Ulysses. She was born July 21, 1938in Grant County, the daughterof Carl Bradley and the formerBernice Christian. Shirley grew up in Moscowand graduated from MoscowHigh School, later attendingGarden City Community Col-lege. She worked at Kramer,Nordling and Nordling inHugoton. In 1961 Shirley marriedFelix Caudill in Moscow.Shirley and Felix resided andworked in Moscow, Hawaii andCalifornia. She is survived by her sisterCarla Harris from Shawnee,Ok.; and her numerous niecesand nephews.
Shirley is preceded in deathby her parents; husband Felix;and brothers, Donald Bradley,Larry Bradley and JimmieBradley. Funeral services areplanned for 11:00 a.m. Thurs-day, January 7 at the UnitedMethodist Church in Moscowwith Reverend Timothy McCrary officiating. Cremationwill follow the service with in-urnment at a later date inMoscow Cemetery. GarnandFuneral Home in Ulysses is incharge of the arrangements. Memorial contributions maybe given to the UnitedMethodist Church of Moscowor United Methodist Women incare of Garnand FuneralHome, 405 W. Grant Ave,Ulysses, Ks 67880.
Shirley Caudill
Former Hugoton residentJanice Creamer Dyke, age 75,of Montrose, Co., passed fromthis life Sunday, January 3,2016 at Sunrise Creek As-sisted Living in Montrose fol-lowing a battle withParkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
Born January 14, 1940 inHugoton, she was the daugh-ter of Charles Melvin Creamerand the former Pauline Margaret Ives. Hugoton iswhere she spent her childhoodand received her education.She went on to NortheasternJunior College in Sterling, Co.where she received her childpsychology degree. June 22, 1995 she marriedRobert Dyke and moved toCedaredge, Co. where theymade their home until his timeof death. She then resided atthe Memory Care Unit of Sunrise Creek Assisted Livingin Montrose until her time ofpassing. Janice was raisedMethodist, and attended Pan-handle Bible Center in Guymon, Ok. Her love for children was very involved and
her purpose each and everyday, being active and givingmonthly donations for manyyears. She taught them educa-tion and everyday skills bysewing various clothes fromher sewing room. She lovedgardening and landscapingand running her own daycarefacility in Guymon. Family members include herfirst husband Roger Bennett ofDelta; her son Roy ‘Doug’ Ben-nett of Montrose; her brothersButch, Larry and RoyCreamer, all of Hugoton; andsisters, Rose Ann, Charlene,Shirley, Sheila, Jo, Sharon andRobin Creamer. Janice was preceded indeath by her husbands, LelandRowden and Robert Dyke; sis-ters Charlene, Sheila and Jo;her grandson Mark AnthonyBruce; and her parents. Mrs. Dyke is survived by herfive grandchildren, Tim, Garry,Tarah, Monique and Misty;and seven great grandchildren,Madison, Destiny, Dakota,Matt Jr., Tevania, Brett andZach. A funeral service in celebra-tion of Janice’s life is plannedfor Friday, January 8 at 11:00a.m. at Crippin Funeral HomeChapel in Montrose with Pastor Paul Nystrom officiat-ing. Burial will follow the serv-ice at Pea Green Cemetery inDelta, Co. Crippin FuneralHome and Crematory in Mon-trose is assisting the family. In lieu of flowers, memorialdonations may be made to CalFarley’s Boys and Girls Ranch,(800) 687-3722 or www.calfar-ley.org.
Janice Creamer Dyke
Obituaries
Buying your first car, mov-ing to a new state, losing orchanging your job or startinga small business are a few ofthe life changes that shouldtrigger a review of your insur-ance. But picking the right in-surance coverage for you andyour family is also about find-ing the right insurance agent.
We at the Kansas Insur-ance Department (KID) andthe National Association of In-surance Commissioners(NAIC) offer these tips to helpyou find the right agent foryour insurance needs.
First, understand that youhave different types to choosefrom. You can pick an inde-pendent agent or an exclusive(sometimes called captive ordirect) agent. An independentagent may write contractswith several different insur-ance companies. An exclusiveagent writes exclusively withone company. Independentand exclusive agents repre-sent the insurance companyand receive a commissionfrom the insurance company.
Whether you are lookingfor your first agent or thinkingabout switching agents orcompanies, it's a good idea tohave several to choose from.When evaluating your list,consider the following:• Personality - Have conver-sations with prospectiveagents. Explain your situationand ask for a quote. Simplyasking does not mean youhave to work with them. Thisis a chance for you to get a feelfor how they work and if you
are comfortable with them.• Credentials - Many agentswill have letters behind theirnames on their businesscards. These represent desig-nations or credentials theyhave earned from various in-surance groups or associa-tions. Ask them what theseletters mean. Also, ask them ifthey carry Errors and Omis-sions (E&O) coverage forthemselves.• Reputation – Do you knowsomeone who is already aclient with the agent you areconsidering? Ask that personwhat he/she thinks about theagent’s work.• Licensing - Make sure theagents and the companiesthey are writing policies forare licensed in Kansas. Youcan check company licensinginformation by calling the KIDConsumer Assistance Hotline,(in Kansas) 800-432-2484, orby going to the KID Web site,www.ksinsurance.org, andclicking the “Finding a Com-pany or Agent” icon.• Complaints - While you'rechecking whether the agentand the company are licensed,also check to see if they've hadcomplaints filed against them.For the company, you cancheck the KID hotline at thenumber above. The insurancedepartment can also tell you ifany complaints have beenfiled against the agent. Youmight also check with the Bet-ter Business Bureau to see ifany consumers have filedcomplaints - or compliments -about the agents you're con-sidering.• Financial Strength of theCompany - When evaluating acompany, you also want tocheck the company’s financialrating. There are five majorrating services. Go to the KIDwebsite and click the “Findinga Company or Agent” icon,which will take you to a pagethat provides links to majorratings services.• References - When you're
applying for a job, you providereferences, so don't be afraidto ask a prospective agent forthe same.• Ask Questions - If you'vehad a particularly interestinginsurance experience, or haveheard of one, ask the agenthow he/she and the companythe agent represents wouldhave dealt with the situation.• Choices - If you're using anindependent agent, you'll havechoices of companies and cov-erages. Evaluate the optionswith the agent to make sureyou're choosing the policy bestsuited to your situation.• Company Explanation - Ifthe agent doesn't tell youabout the company he/she isplacing your coverage withand why that company hasthe best coverage for you, askwhy he/she chose that com-pany.• Honest Sales - You should-n't feel pressured to choose anagent, a company or a quote.If an offer seems too good tobe true, it probably is.
We at the Kansas Insur-ance Department can alsohelp. If you have questions orconcerns, call us at 800-432-2484 and speak to a Con-sumer AssistanceRepresentative.
Begin your New Year rightby making the right insurancemoves.
gallbladder procedures, her-nias, EGDs, colonoscopies,pacemaker battery changes,and even an appendectomythis year. Dr. CharlesFrankum out of Denver, Co. isthe primary surgeon, whileDr. Hussam Farhoud handlesthe pacemaker batterychanges.
Hospital CEO Linda Stal-cup reported the State FireMarshal had been by, and thehospital received two viola-tions. The plan of care hasbeen approved. She alsostated the hospital had re-ceived a check from Medicarefor the year ending 2013.Linda then discussed the de-ficiencies received at PioneerManor, saying their deficien-cies are among the top tenwritten in Kansas.
As part of the program torepay part of Steika Rapp'sstudent loans, StevensCounty Healthcare will bemoving to a new policy regard-ing patients who are unable topay. Instead of the former"charity" forms issued - wherepatients were asked to supplyinformation about their in-come - SCH will move to asliding scale system. Theyplan to use a HRSA formfound on a government Website, with a few tweaks forSCH. The change will be notedon the hospital's Web site, aswell as posted signs on thehospital campus. The boardapproved the motion to adopt the sliding scale system.
CFO Dave Piper was nextup, and apologized for not fur-nishing a report. He was un-able to print out a completereport until the company thatupdated the system returnshis phone call. He reported
the numbers were balanced,and the hospital's cash posi-tion remained stable in No-vember. The operating cashflow was up in November,and, if not for the third payrollin December, would havegone up again last month.Since July, the hospital's fi-nancial health is encouraging.Dave expects a reduction inthe amount received from thecounty this year, similar topast years. Board memberKirk Heger asked why SCH’sfinancial situation was better,and Dave replied it is due tomany reasons: increased cen-
sus, hard work at the busi-ness office and medical codingoffice and decreased agencynurse use were among thechief reasons. Linda and Daveboth informed the board SCHowes no money at this time.Mr. Piper mentioned the hos-pital will likely have to pay forthe electrical equipment inback, but hadn't yet receiveda total from the City. He toldthe board about 14 percent ofthe hospital's budget comesfrom the county, while the re-mainder is generated by thehospital. He also mentionedStevens County's self-pay per-
centage is higher than thestate average at 21%, whilethe rest of Kansas averagesaround 14-15 percent.
The board reviewed theEmergency Room and on-callschedules for January. Therewas no old business or newbusiness, and the boardmoved to go into executivesession for ten minutes regarding personnel privacybefore adjourning.
The next hospital boardmeeting will be Monday, February 1 at 5:30 p.m. in thePioneer Manor conferenceroom.
AJ MadsenContinued from page 1
The Hugoton Hermes Thursday, January 7, 2016 Page 3
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New Years Day Closed Fri. 1/1Dr. Plomaritis Orthopedics Mon. 1/4Dr. Farhoud Cardiology Tue. 1/5Dr. Frankum General Surgeon Fri. 1/8Dr. Ansari Orthopedics Mon. 1/11Sam Gross Dietitian Tue. 1/12Dr. Brown Podiatry Thu. 1/14Dr. Farhoud Cardiology Tue. 1/19Dr. Frankum General Surgeon Fri. 1/22Dr. Ansari Orthopedics Mon. 1/25Sam Gross Dietitian Tue. 1/26
Stevens County Hospital Specialty ClinicsSpecialty ClinicsScheduled for January 2016
For appointments with:Dr. Ansari 624-6222; Dr. Brown 544-8339;
Dr. Farhoud 1-855-969-8900; Dr. Plomaritis 275-3030; Dr. Frankum 544-8339; Dietitian 544-8339
For all other appointments please call 544-8339 or 544-6160.Flu shots are now available in the Specialty Clinic.
Please bring your insurance cards with you.
AL-ANON Family Groupmeets at 1405 CemeteryRoad Mondays and Thurs-days at 8:00 p.m. Call 620-544-2610 or 620-544-2854 formore information.HUGOTON LIONS CLUBmeets every Second and FourthThursday of the month at Me-morial Hall at 7:00 p.m. HUGOTON MASONIC LODGE#406 AF&AM meets every sec-ond and fourth Tuesday of themonth at 7:30 p.m. ***Change in Location*** MY HOPE Support Group forany adult grieving the death ofa loved one meets the secondTuesday of each month fromnoon to 1:00 p.m. at HighPlains Public Radio, 210 N.Seventh in Garden. Call 620-272-2519 for more information.BREAST FRIENDS CANCERSUPPORT GROUP for breastcancer patients meets the sec-ond Wednesday of each monthfrom 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at theLegacy House, at 309 E. Wal-nut in Garden City. For moreinformation call 620-272-2360.Every fourth Tuesday- Stevens County Health De-
partment is at the Senior Cen-ter every fourth Tuesday of themonth from 11:00 a.m. toNoon to do free blood pressurechecks.Wednesday nights- Inside Out Kids at the Hugo-ton Assembly of God, 138 S.Main, beginning with dinner at6:45 p.m. Program will be from7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Rides areavailable by calling Pastor BenCoats at 620-428-1487 before
5:30 p.m. Wednesdayevenings.Until January 15, 2016- Heritage Christian Academy’sannual Matching Funds Grant.Funds donated will be matched100% up to $30,000. Contri-butions can be sent to HCA, POBox 744, Hugoton, Ks. 67951or visit the school at 505 E.First in Hugoton.January 7- The Church of the Nazareneat 500 S. Van Buren in Hugo-ton will host missionaries Ronand Sara Willard at 7:00 p.m.to hear about their duty inSwaziland, South Africa.- Southwest Kansas Chapter
of Sons of Thunder will meet at6:30 p.m. for a meal, with ameeting to follow at 7:00 p.m.at the Grant County Civic Cen-ter, 1000 W. Patterson Ave. inUlysses. The meal will be in theSouth Room, with the event inthe Commercial Room. LarryBorthwick of the Patterson Av-enue Church of God will speak.Call Monty at 620-353-9507 orvisit www.SonsOfThunderSWKS.com for moreinformation.January 11- Hugoton City Council will
meet at 5:15 p.m.January 14- Hugoton Aglow will meet at
the Stevens County ActivityCenter, Seventh and Main inHugoton. Enjoy coffee and fel-lowship at 7:00 p.m., then lis-ten to speaker PeggyBrecheisen at 7:30 p.m. Thecommunity is encouraged toattend.
1540 West Industrial Park 620-544-2027
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Ulysses 620-356-1070
Hugoton620-544-2027
Elkhart620-697-4706
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Hospital Board Continued from page 1
been accepted.“I was very excited. I tried
to trick my parents by saying,‘Oh, no! I didn’t make it.’ ButI was smiling way too big,”Madsen said.
It will be Madsen’s firsttrip to New York; in fact, itwill be the first time he’s beenanywhere near the east coast,he said. Madsen said an auntsang at Carnegie Hall aboutseven years ago and has oftentalked about the experience.
“Honestly, it’s kind of unbelievable and breathtaking. I think it’s going to beawesome,” he said.
To fund the trip, Madsenhad to come up with around$3,000. He and severalfriends involved in Hugotonchoir and band performed a fundraising concert December 13.
Madsen is the son ofBecky and David Madsen. Healso has an older sister,Katie. Becky Madsen said sheand her husband like to sing,
as do several relatives on herside of the family.
“We are very, very, veryproud of him. He’s workedhard. He loves music,” shesaid.
Madsen is involved in thehigh school choir and band,and piano outside of school.One of the things Madsenfinds interesting is howmusic affects people in differ-ent ways, noting that he mayfeel happy about a certainsong but another person mayfeel a different emotion.
“When it comes to music,piano and singing are proba-bly my favorite. It’s very ex-pressive. I’m able to conveythe feeling I get with musicand show it to other people,”he said.
Madsen started takingsinging lessons in fourth orfifth grade, but singing andmusic in general has been apart of his life as long as hecan remember. His musicalinterests are always
changing. Right now, he said,he likes the group, Fall OutBoy and their songs, “Cen-turies” and “Immortals”.
After high school, Madsenhopes to go to college at BYU-Provo in Utah and major inmusic education, specificallyto become a high school choirteacher.
“I would love to be anytype of music teacher but Iguess I’m thinking choir be-cause singing is my first love.I want to be able to show others the joy of music.Music has touched my lifeand I want to be able to dothe same for others,” he said.
The Honors PerformanceSeries is presented by World-Strides, the nation’s leadingeducational travel organiza-tion. More information aboutthe organization is availableat www.honorsperformance.org, andwww.worldstrides.com.
“My Hope” groupwill now meet atHPPR building
Tuesday, January 12,2016 St Catherine Hospicechaplains Terry Major andGerry Dupuis will co-facili-tate “My HOPE”, a supportgroup for adults who aregrieving the death of a lovedone. The group will meet thesecond Tuesday of eachmonth at a new location:High Plains Public Radio,210 N. Seventh in GardenCity from 12:00 noon to 1:00p.m.
The goal of this supportgroup is to help participantsexperience hope and healingin their life losses and be ableto move into new meaningand purpose for their lives.The sessions are open to thepublic and each participantis welcome to come and go asthey like. If participantschoose they may bring theirlunch with them.
These sessions are nottherapy, and they are not areplacement for individualand professional counselingfor deep grief, but they areopportunities to share yourstory and learn from the sto-ries of others.
Both Reverend Terry Majorand Reverend Gerry Dupuisare graduates of the Centerfor Loss and Life Transitionbereavement support grouptraining and hold a certifica-tion in Death and Grief Stud-ies.
Stevens County EmergencyServices run activity Decem-ber 21 through January 3.
Fire Department No Actiity
Ambulance Activity Four medical runs and oneLife Flight.
Stevens County Fire Department
andAmbulance Report
Cervical cancer screeningsare an important component ofpreventative healthcare forwomen. Such screenings areoften conducted at the sametime as other routine checksperformed by a woman’s pri-mary care physician or gynecol-ogist.
Cervical cancer screeningsare two-fold. A doctor or nursewill examine the cervix to visu-ally look for any indications ofchange, and he or she also willtake a sampling of cervical cellsto conduct a Pap test. Thesescreenings are some of the mosteffective cancer screening testsavailable. Some women also gettested for the human papillo-mavirus, or HPV, a commonsexually transmitted disease,during the same visit. The Cen-ters for Disease Control andPrevention state cervical canceris the easiest gynecologic cancerto prevent, noting that screen-ing is highly effective at detect-ing the presence of cervicalcancer, even if it is in its early
stages.While cervical examinations
are recommended every year, in2012 the American Cancer So-ciety changed the rate of fre-quency for Pap tests. That’sbecause cervical cancer is aslow-developing cancer (some-times taking 10 to 20 years toappear), and frequent testing isnot always necessary.
Today, women should gettheir first Pap tests at age 21.Patients who have never had apositive cervical cancer resultand are between ages 21 and29 should get a Pap test everythree years. An HPV test is notnecessary unless there is anabnormal Pap test result.Women between the ages of 30and 65 should receive both aPap and HPV test every fiveyears. Women also can receivea Pap test every three years.
According to The AmericanCongress of Obstetricians andGynecologists, women whohave had their uteruses andcervixes removed in hysterec-
tomy procedures who have nohistory of cervical cancer do notrequire screening. Also, after awoman reaches age 65 and hashad no abnormal results, sheno longer needs to be screenedfor cervical cancer.
Women who are at a highrisk for cervical cancer mayneed to be screened more often.Such women include individu-als who have HIV, have under-gone organ transplants or havehad abnormal results from pastscreenings.
Thursday, January 19,2006
Stevens County had thehighest average yield in thestate of Kansas with 52bushels per acre for drylandfarming, according to theKansas Agricultural Statis-tics Service for 2005.
Thursday, January 18,2001
Dick Marquardt was pre-sented the Hugoton Chamberof Commerce LifetimeAchievement Award at theChamber Banquet last week.Marquardt moved to Hugoton45 years ago to work as apharmacist for Mac McClungat Bloodhart Drug. He laterbecame a partner and even-tually purchased the busi-ness.
Opal Hall, former StevensCounty Clerk, swore in GaryBaker and David Bozone asthe new Stevens CountyCommissioners. Bob John-son was also sworn in as theincoming Stevens County At-torney.
Thursday, January 11,1996
“Dr. Sam” has joined thestaff at the Stevens CountyHospital direct from complet-ing his internal medicine res-
idency at Our Lady of MercyMedical Center in New YorkCity. Dr. Samer Al-Hashmi,a native of Syria, is engagedto be married. He was bornin Damascus in 1962.
Thursday, January 22,1981
Leroy Higgins ended 31years of Post Office servicewhen he began his retirementthis week. He began work atthe Rolla Post Office in 1949when he had to furnish hisown adding machine andtypewriter for his work.
Thursday, January 21,1971
The four year old geldingbelonging to Robin Young,daughter of Mr. and Mrs.Walter Young, was namedGrand Champion Gelding ofthe Golden Spread QuarterHorse Association. Thehorse competed against morethan 250 other horses.
Thursday, January 13,1966
Joan McClung took overthe duties as school nurse atthe Hugoton ElementarySchool this week. Miss Mc-Clung is the daughter of Mr.and Mrs. Farris McClung.
Thursday, January 12,1956
Representative Paul Wolfof Hugoton returned toTopeka for the budget sessionof the Kansas legislature.Friday, January 18, 1946
Mr. and Mrs. Dale McCoyhave returned to Hugotonfrom California and have pur-chased Hoppe’s CleaningShop. Dale was recently re-leased from the ArmedForces.
If any readers have pic-tures or memories for thehistory page of the Hermes,please bring them in toRuthie Winget at the Hugo-ton Hermes Newspaper.
to set the meetings for the Boardof County Commissioners as thefirst and third Mondays of eachmonth. Pat Hall was voted in asChairman and Dave Bozone asVice Chairman.
Tony Martin was next on theagenda. He informed the Com-missioners that the truck thathad been ordered with the snowblade is in Wichita now. He plansto call them and see if he canhurry along its completion. Theyvisited about the KDI highwayproject. No work is being done
still. Tony thinks some changesneed to be done to the detourbarricades since the recentwreck. He has been visiting withKDOT about the reimburse-ments and checks are supposedto be coming. The subjectchanged to the width of countyroads. Some of them seem to begetting narrower. Tony said hebought his guys tape measurersand has been addressing the sit-uation already. Roads are sup-posed to be 21 to 24 feet wide.
They visited with Tony aboutmoney for the truck already onorder. This would not be an en-cumbrance - it would be a trans-fer of funds already marked forthis equipment. Motion wasmade and passed to make thetransfer of funds. Materials wasthe next topic of discussion.
Josh Morris came in to talkabout the Extension districtingagain. He urged the Commis-sioners to make a decision in thematter now so it could be donein 2016 instead of waiting until2017. He said the ExtensionBoard voted, and voted unani-mously to do the districting. Hesaid, time-wise, if the Commis-sioners did not make a decisionat the current meeting - it wouldbe too late. It has to be publishedin the newspaper for two weeksfollowed with a 60 day protestperiod. Dave asked about thenew board members and if theywere allowed to vote and was in-formed they were not. His opin-ion is that they should beallowed to vote for or against theissue. The new incoming mem-bers are Don Beesley, WalterBeesley and Ben McClure andthe outgoing are Shelley French,Able Sullivan and Tony McBride.The board is made up of ninemembers. Note: Following themeeting, Josh added that BrendaFrederick is also a new member,as Ruth Van Horn had vacatedher position with the board earlierin 2015.
All three Commissioners werehesitant to give their approvalyet. Josh stressed that if they diddecide at the meeting, it could gointo effect July 1, 2016. Other-
wise it will have to wait until2017. When asked, he told theCommissioners that yes - theMorton County Commissionershad voted in favor of the district-ing. Commissioners said if athird county was to be includedthey would be more in favor sothe distribution of funds wouldbe more even. They stressed thatthis in no way says they do notcare or want to support the Ex-tension program. They do notlike to go against the ExtensionBoard, but they feel they reallyneed to be more educated andinformed on the subject. Theywould like to wait and see if thethird county will join and not beso time-stressed to join for 2016.
When asked, Josh assuredthe Commissioners no COLAraises had been issued for thepast two years, and he is worriedabout finances if no districting isdone this year. They havetrimmed everywhere they can,and the Extension just cannottake another cut to their budget.Next it will have to be salaries.Commissioners asked and dis-cussed if it would help, and if itwould even be possible, if theyassured him of no budget cuts.Yes it would, but any reserveswill be depleted. Also the Exten-sion will not receive extra fundsfrom K-State if there is no dis-tricting. Discussion continuedabout the details that wouldhave to be done in a short timefor the districting. The valuationfacts of Morton County would beappreciated - again - it wouldhelp so much if a third countywas joining also. Commissionersthanked Josh for coming in andtold him they will continue todiscuss the matter.
Following much discussion,the Commissioners decided tonot approve the Extension dis-tricting for this year.
Commissioners discussedadding insulation to the court-room. Jorge can do the labor, itwill just be the cost of the insu-lation. This was given the okay.
Commissioners moved intoexecutive session with plans toadjourn following.
The Hugoton Hermes Thursday, January 7, 2016 Page 4
9 ! �,�(;3!'!,;&'��601 S. Main - Hugoton
)%*'� �;1�,��%�;5���521 S. Main - Hugoton
)120�3;.2/6810;:4+6David & Brandy Robson
314 S. Van Buren 544-4122
Faith Publishing LLC522 S. Main 620-544-4321 785/57�;&1)7537;9:289:
Subscriptions $30.00 (including Kansas StateSales Tax) for Stevens and adjoining KansasCounties, $35.00 elsewhere in state (includingKansas State Sales Tax), and for all out of statesubscriptions. Online subscriptions are $25.00 ayear. Online and printed subscriptions combinedare $10.00 plus the cost of the subscription. For-eign Subscription Rate $40.00. School Subscrip-tions and Military Personnel $25.00 (includingKansas State Sales Tax) payable in advance. Ad-vertising Rates Noncommissionable $5.00 per col-umn inch, Commissionable Rates $6.25 percolumn inch, Classified $5.00 per column inch.Frequency is weekly every Thursday. PeriodicalsPostage paid at Hugoton, Ks. 67951. POSTMAS-TER: Send address changes to The Hugoton Her-mes at 522 S. Main, Hugoton, Kansas 67951.
Opinion PageOur opinion page is open to the public. We en-courage comments from readers in the form ofletters to the editor or guest columns. All lettersmust be signed and must include the address andtelephone number of the sender. (names will bepublished but not address & phone#) Lettersshould be no more than 300 words. No libelousor offensive letter will be published. The guestcolumn or letter to the editor does not reflect theopinion of this newspaper or its representatives.
Commissioners Continued from page 1
The first motorized mail hack driven from Hugoton to Liberalwas driven by Guy Kimsey. The modified car was a 1908 REO.Jim Kelso, postmaster at that time, is standing on the post officeporch. Guy stands by the mail hack and Clyde Davis is in frontof the mail hack. The other two are unknown. The Hugoton PostOffice was located at 621 S. Main, where Bloodhart Drug stoodfor many years. Taken from the January 12, 1956 issue of theHugoton Hermes newspaper.
Overdue books, audios, andmagazines are now ten centsper day per item. Overdue feesfor videogames will DECREASEfrom $5.00 per day to $1.00 perday. All other overdue fees willremain the same.
KIDS’ WINTER READINGPROGRAM
“Fetch a Good Book”, thekids’ winter reading program, isnow underway, and will rununtil January 30, 2016. Checkout the progress in our fronthallway! There is still time toparticipate - find the instruc-tions for the program on Face-book! ADULT WINTER READING
PROGRAMThe adult winter reading
program “Fire It Up” is now un-derway. Register today andbegin reading. Turn in whatyou have read for prizes! Prizeswill be awarded weekly.
CIRCLE TIMECircle time will begin
Wednesday, January 20. MissStacey is getting excited to see“her” kids again!
What should women know about cervical cancer screening?
Happy New Year! HugotonAglow will meet Thursday,January 14 at at theStevens County Activity Cen-ter at Seventh and Main inHugoton. Come at 7:00 p.m.for coffee and fellowship. Theregular meeting will follow at7:30 p.m. with speaker PeggyBrecheisen. You are asked touse the Main Street entrance.
In keeping with Aglow’spast practice, January’sspeaker Peggy Brecheisen -and her talk - are highly an-ticipated! Peggy is “prayedup” and on target with herfirst question for all who willconsider the question, whichis directed to God’s People:“How are we starting this newyear? Are we staying thesame as we have been doing?Are we ready or not?”
Peggy says, “I want to talkto God’s People. What will wedo with this 2016 year? Thismay be the countdown. Whatwill God’s People, who have
been walking with Him, do inthis year that we’re starting?If your plan is not God’s plan,it’s not going to work. If it isGod’s plan - it can’t fail! I’mgoing to share some thingsthat I know have worked, byway of God and his son,Jesus Christ, and by themighty power of the HolyGhost.”
How does one get in touchwith God’s plan? Read Hisword, pray for the Holy Spiritto help you hear, and getgoing! Keep reading and lis-tening to the Holy Spirit.Reading, praying, listening . .. reading, praying, listening,and so on. Act on what youhear from the Holy Spirit!
Peggy also desires that, “. ..everyone in Hugoton willcome and hear what God haslaid on my heart. I haveprayed much, listened much,and I can see Him working.Please, you come too!”
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around knot to achieve a fauxbois effect. Allow glue toharden.
Paint over glue on bothglass surfaces. Apply severalcoats if needed, allowing dry-ing time between applica-tions.
Seal both pieces with acoat of Ultra Matte finish.Allow to dry before applyingany additional coats.
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The Hugoton Hermes Thursday, January 7, 2016 Page 5
Stay WarmAll Winter
Firewood $70/rickDelivery and
Stacking available
Call 620-453-1139
Agricultural Sales and Service, Local and Direct
APPLICATIONS OF AGRICULTURAL CHEMICALS, SEEDING AND FERTILIZING
Relay for Life:Nylene Johnson, Rhonda McBride, Emily Johnson, Lisa Nelson,
Alisha Hinz, Mary Helen Minjarez, and Stacy Helget
the 9th annual
Carter's Thrifty King collects around 300 donated can goods plus some other food itemsfor Project Hope’s food drive. Thank you's go
out to Justin Carter, Thrifty King staff andtheir customers.
Larry and Becky Allen brought some of theircompany to visit the Stevens County Gas andHistorical Museum. Left to right are Larryand Becky’s granddaughters Kara Griffin,
Julie Griffin and Jana Griffin from Knoxville,Tn. The little guy is Allen’s great grandson JettAllen from Oklahoma City. Larry and Beckystand proudly in back.
MUSEUM UPDATEfrom The Stevens County Gas & Historical Museum
Beulah Carter, Curator Heather McCrary and Billy Woodworth
Kansas Common SenseBy Jerry Moran
I hope you and your familyhave enjoyed this holidayseason. Robba and I wish youa Happy New Year and sendyou our best wishes for theyear ahead. I hope the NewYear brings a Congress capa-ble of working together forthe well-being of our nation.This week, I spoke with CathyDawes at 1350 KMAN inManhattan about my hopesfor 2016 in Washington, D.C.
Seeking Answers About Allegations of Misconduct
at Dole VAMonday afternoon, I met
with officials from the RobertJ. Dole Medical Center as afollow-up to my recent letterto Department of Veterans’Affairs (VA) Secretary RobertMcDonald requesting specificanswers about allegations ofharassment and misconductmade by University of Kansas(KU) surgical residentsagainst a VA physician. In-cluded in the meeting were:Medical Center DirectorFrancisco Vazquez; Dole VAChief of Staff, Dr. Syed Raffi;VA VISN 15 Director, Dr. BillPatterson; Dean of the KUSchool of Medicine-Wichita,Dr. Garold Minns; and KUAssociate Dean for GraduateMedical Education, Dr. PaulCallaway.
During the meeting wediscussed the actions takenin response to the accusa-
tions and the disciplinaryprocess moving forward. Vet-erans deserve a VA worthy oftheir service, and that in-cludes a safe working andlearning environment forthose who choose to servethem. I will continue to workwith the VA to make certainthey have the resourcesneeded to hold bad actors ac-countable and to ensurethose who serve our veteranshave a safe environment fromwhich to do so.
Kansas Listening TourContinues
This week, I continued myKansas Listening Tour andcompleted the last five stopsof 2015 with visits in Udall,Wellington, Clearwater,Haven, and Hillsboro.
It was good to round outthis year’s Kansas ListeningTour in Hillsboro at theWohlgemuth Music Educa-tion Center of Tabor College.Thanks to the just more than50 folks from around the areawho turned out to share con-cerns and give feedback onthe impact of the Choice Act,mental health care, and gen-eral dysfunction in Congress.It was a pleasure to haveHillsboro Mayor DeloresDalke, Marion Mayor ToddHeitschmidt, McPhersonMayor Tom Brown, and StateSenator Rick Wilbourn in at-tendance
The issues I focus on andwork I do in Washington,
D.C., are significantly basedon the conversations I havewith Kansans so making itback home to visit with folksis my top priority. 2016 willbring me to a communitynear you, and I hope you’llcome out and visit with me.You can visit my website tolearn more about these andother upcoming Kansas Lis-tening Tour stops in yourcommunity.
Apply to be a Summer2016 Intern
My own interest in publicservice was sparked by an in-ternship for Kansas First Dis-trict Congressman KeithSebelius in 1974. As an in-tern, I had the chance tolearn firsthand how a Con-gressional office operates andhow the legislative processworks.
I am proud to be able tooffer this same opportunity inmy Senate office today whereI have interns year-roundwho have a unique opportu-nity to work closely with mystaff on behalf of Kansas. Ap-plications are already beingaccepted for internships inmy Washington, D.C., officefor the summer 2016 term.Congressional internshipsare open to qualified under-graduate and graduate stu-dents who have an interest inpublic service and haveachieved academic excel-lence.
It is always fun to bringholiday guests to see all thedisplays at the StevensCounty Gas and HistoricalMuseum. Larry and BeckyAllen brought their grand-
daughters from Knoxville, Tn.and great grandson fromOklahoma City to the Museum last week.
The Stevens County Gasand Historical Museum is lo-
cated at 905 S. Adams. Youare invited to visit Mondaythrough Friday from 1:00 to5:00 p.m. The museum isalso open Saturdays from1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Kansas Common Sense����������������������
����� ��������������
DIY Decor with Creative Containers
January was not always thefirst month of the year. Earliercalendars, such as the Juliancalendar used by the Romans,considered March the firstmonth of the year. These calen-dars were based largely aroundweather and harvest sched-ules, and winter was consid-ered to be a time withoutdefinitive months. Eventually,the calendar was expanded ataround 713 BCE to include twoadditional months so it wouldequal a standard lunar year.Romans also were integral ingiving the months their names,and some months got theirnames from Roman mythologyand the gods of that time, whileothers were named after promi-nent Roman emperors. Janu-ary got its name from a Romangod named Janus, who wasconsidered a god of transitionsand beginnings. Janus was de-picted as a two-faced god,which is appropriate in thepresent-day since January rep-resents a time of saying good-
bye to the old year and lookingahead to the new year.
****************According to the Centers for
Disease Control and Preven-tion, research has shown thatstrengthening exercises aresafe and effective for men andwomen of all ages, includingseniors. The CDC also notesthat men and women withheart disease or arthritis maybenefit the most from exerciseregimens that include liftingweights several times per week.A strength-training program atTufts University enlisted oldermen and women with moder-ate to severe knee osteoarthri-tis. The program lasted 16weeks, and by the end of those16 weeks, participants reportedthat their pain had decreasedby an average of 43 percentwhile also decreasing the dis-ability caused by their condi-tions. In addition to thebenefits uncovered in the Tuftsprogram, strength training canbenefit older men and women
by improving balance and flex-ibility, which can decrease theirlikelihood of falling and theseverity of those falls if they doslip.
****************According to data from Sta-
tistics Brain, the AmericanCancer Society and HealthLand, around 70 percent ofsmokers harbor a desire to quitaltogether, while 40 percent ofsmokers will try to quit thisyear. Quitting smoking is apopular New Year’s resolution,and a choice that can improvesmokers’ health dramatically.Smokers can reduce their rateof dying from smoking by halfjust by quitting before age 50.Although the percentage ofsmokers who will succeed inquitting the first time around issmall, it is still worth the effort.Today there are many differentplans, medications and smok-ing-cessation support groupsto help smokers as they at-tempt to quit.
SOCIAL SECURITYEVOLVES TO SERVE
CUSTOMERSSocial Security is at the
forefront of adapting andmeeting the ever-changingneeds of our customers.Technology plays an impor-tant role in helping us pro-vide the world-class customerservice America expects anddeserves. And we’re changingto keep current with newlaws and judicial rulings aswell.
One way we’ve evolved isby developing the my SocialSecurity account. Once youenroll for a free account atwww.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount, Social Security canhelp you estimate your futureretirement or disability bene-fits, or manage them if youare already receiving benefits.You can do all of this easilyand securely from the com-fort of your home or office.
Social Security listens to
your needs as we improve thetechnologies enhancing thecustomer experience. Wecontinue to look for new serv-ices to add to my Social Secu-rity to make it an even morepowerful resource for youand your family.
Another way we’re evolvingis by adapting to legal and so-cial changes. In 1935, whenSocial Security was created,the definition of “family” wasdifferent than it is today.June 26, 2015, the SupremeCourt issued a decision inObergefell v. Hodges, holdingthat same-sex couples have aconstitutional right to marryin all states. As a result, moresame-sex couples will be rec-ognized as married for pur-poses of determiningentitlement to Social Securitybenefits or eligibility for Sup-plemental Security Income(SSI) payments.
Not only have we adaptedto provide benefits for same-sex spouses, but transgenderpeople can now change thegender marker on their SocialSecurity records based onidentity, with no requirementfor reassignment surgery.
Our mission at Social Se-curity is to deliver services tomeet the changing needs ofthe public. By keeping thepublic informed of their ben-efit estimates with my SocialSecurity and adapting to ourchanging society, we will con-tinue to achieve our goalsand help you achieve yours.No matter who you are, youdeserve the benefits of SocialSecurity.
Find out more at www.socialsecurity.gov.
Average retail gasolineprices in Kansas have risen 0.7cents per gallon in the pastweek, averaging $1.74 per gal-lon Sunday, according to Gas-Buddy's daily survey of 1,329gas outlets in Kansas. Thiscompares with the national av-erage that has fallen 0.5 centsper gallon in the last week to$1.99 per gallon, according togasoline price Web site GasBuddy.com.
Areas nearby Kansas andtheir current gas price climate:Wichita- $1.66 per gallon, up5.0 cents per gallon from lastweek's $1.61 per gallon; Lin-coln- $2.00 per gallon, down0.8 cents per gallon from lastweek's $2.01 per gallon;Topeka- $1.75 per gallon, up1.1 cents per gallon from lastweek's $1.74 per gallon.
Including the change in gasprices in Kansas during thepast week, prices Sunday were16.4 cents per gallon lowerthan the same day one yearago and are 11.4 cents per gal-lon lower than a month ago.The national average has de-creased 5.0 cents per gallonduring the last month andstands 19.9 cents per gallonlower than this day one yearago.
“Talk about starting theNew Year off right,” saidPatrick DeHaan, GasBuddysenior petroleum analyst. “Thenational average at $1.99 is agreat way to begin 2016, andover twenty cents lower thanwhere we started 2015. Thegood news is that we could seeeven more price drops beforethe seasonal lift that will likelybegin as we push towardsSpring. For any Americansthat made resolutions to tryand spend less at the pumpthis year, I think they will be ingood shape to achieve that. Thefundamentals of oil remainweak which will contribute tolow oil prices for some time,while gasoline demand willlikely move lower now with theholidays behind us, puttingdownward pressure on gaso-line prices,” DeHaan said.
GasBuddy will be unveilingits 2016 Fuel Outlook in theweeks ahead, which will shedlight on what the fuel price cli-mate will be for motorists inthe year ahead.
For a complete listing ofcurrent averages and other fuelprice data, visithttp://media.gasbuddy.com.For fuel news and alerts, follow@GasBuddyNews on Twitter.
The Hugoton Hermes Thursday, January 7, 2016 Page 6
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The harvest is plenty with few workers... the need is great with lack of funds...
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God’s Love Reaches Out to All
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Nine year old Jayden Burrows is thrilled to be one of the winnersin Ghumm’s Auto Center’s recent coloring contest. She is thedaughter of Jennifer and Jason Burrows of Hugoton.
Alan Ornelas, seven year old son of Josefina Ornelas of Hugoton, can’t believe his luck after being named a winner ofGhumm’s Auto Center coloring contest.
Ashley Coats, five year old daughter of Ben and Wendy Coatsof Hugoton, is a winner in Ghumm’s Auto Center coloring contest and receives her prize which is almost as big as she is.
Kansas Weekly Gas Prices
The new year is upon us.It's time to take a look back onthe past year and determinewhat we might want to change,do better or accomplish in2016. For pet parents, much ofthis reflection applies to thelives they share with their pets.
TripsWithPets.com surveyedpet parents and asked themwhat resolutions they've madefor 2016 relating to their pets.
Here are the top five 2016Pet New Year's Resolutions.1. Healthier Diet
Feeding their pets betterquality food is at the top of petparents list this year! They'vebeen doing their research andare wanting to do all they canto ensure their little ones live along, happy and healthy life.Whether it's gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, soy-free, corn-free, raw food, unprocessedfood, or probiotics - pet parentsare coming for you in 2016!2. Daily Walks
Whether it's a walk throughthe park, a stroll around theneighborhood or a jog alonghiking trails, 26% of pet par-ents surveyed plan to get out-side each day and move withtheir pets this year. They sitedexercise, maintaining theirpack leader status, and bond-ing as their motivation forwalking their pooch more often. 3 - More Outings
More car rides, doggie bak-ery visits, beach outings, andfamily vacations, are amongthe activities that respondentssaid they are resolved to doingmore of with their four-leggedfamily members. Getting outand spending some qualitytime with their pets to makethat bond even stronger is atthe top of many pet parentsminds this year!4. Socialization
As more pet parents opt totake their pets on more out-ings, there comes the need to
better socialize them. Fifteenpercent of pet parents polledare committed to helping theirshy, skittish, or fearful pet be-come more comfortable aroundpeople, other pets, and in pub-lic places.5. Training
A close cousin of socializa-tion, training, comes in as thefifth most popular pet resolu-tion of 2016. We all can't havethe perfectly mannered pet buta good number of pet parentsplan to devote the time to curbsome not-so-favorable behav-ior. From teaching Rover not tobark at house guests and dragyou while on walks to practic-ing better recall (getting yourdog to come when called) andtraining your cat to stay offkitchen counters...pet parentsare ready to put on their petwhisperer hat!
About TripsWithPets.comTripsWithPets.com is the pre-
mier online pet friendly travel
guide - providing online reserva-tions at over 30,000 pet friendlyhotels & accommodationsacross the U.S. and Canada.When planning a trip, pet par-ents go to TripsWithPets.com for detailed, up-to-date information on hotel petpolicies and pet amenities. Trip-sWithPets.com also features air-line & car rental pet policies, petfriendly activities, a user-friendly search-by-route option,as well as pet travel gear.
About the AuthorKim Salerno is the President
and Founder of TripsWithPets.com. She founded thepet travel site in 2003 and is anexpert in the field of pet travel.Her popular Web site featurespet friendly hotels & accommo-dations across the US andCanada, along with other help-ful pet travel resources. Hermission is to ensure that petsare welcome, happy, and safein their travels.
Top five pet New Year's resolutions for 2016
SOCIAL SECURITY NEWSBy Randy Ayers Social Security DistrictManager in Dodge City
The first Moscow, called"Old Moscow", was locatedfour miles south and a biteast of the present town. Thetown included a Post Officeand a one room school. It isbelieved the abbreviation ofthe name Moscoso, Coron-ado's expedition that traveledthrough the west in 1541, iswho received the credit forthe town's name. The firstpostmaster, Joseph Rouse,claimed Moscoso to be cor-rect. When the petition forthe Post Office was sent tothe postal department, theproposed name was spelledMosco, but according toRouse, a higher power inWashington, D.C. put the "W"on, and the name has stuck.
In 1912, when the SantaFe Railroad came throughStevens County the town wasmoved to its present site onthe railroad. Moscow is situ-ated in the heart of the finestfarmland of the southwest, inthe northeast corner ofStevens County.
In 1913, the little whiteframe school opened its firstterm in Moscow. This littlebuilding accommodated twoand sometimes three teach-ers. In 1918, a high schoolwas established in the old"Brophy Building", long sincegone. The new high schoolbuilding was an imposingtwo-story red brick.
The present elementaryschool, a tan-brick structuredesigned with an appearancefor the future was erected in1936. The elementary staffincreased to five teachers,with one serving as principal.The staff number andarrangement was similar inthe high school.
In 1950, an addition wasmade to the elementaryschool through a successfulbond election. This providedtwo larger classrooms. In thesame year, the old "VancevilleRural School" was moved tothe Moscow Elementary siteand became the facility forthe hot lunch program. A sec-ond addition was added be-hind the elementarygymnasium, which providedthree more classrooms, plussome additional restrooms.This allowed the combinationgrades to be discontinued,and one teacher was hired foreach of the eight elementarygrades, plus kindergarten.
In 1958, ground was bro-ken for a new high school.The most modern buildinghas been the pride of thecommunity. A later additionprovided more dressingrooms for the Physical Edu-cation department, an ex-panded Industrial Artsdepartment, and a largemulti-purpose room with a
modern kitchen.An addition in the 1980's
provided a spacious lunch-room with a modern kitchenand rooms. The old lunch-room was remodeled into a library. The old music roomwas converted into quartersfor the school nurse, thecomputer lab, and the workspace for personnel from theeducational cooperative. Andin the 1980's a separate FineArts building was built tohouse the elementary Musicand Arts programs.
In 1994, additions to thehigh school included sixclassrooms, a communityroom, a district office, rest-rooms, locker rooms, and anew gymnasium. In 2008, thenew Early Education Centerwas added. What a greatplace to raise children and bepart of a community.
The information in this article was mostly obtainedand compiled by WayneComer, superintendent ofschools at Moscow for manyyears.
The Hugoton Hermes Thursday, January 7, 2016 Page 7
Box 398, Garden City, 620-276-8282 “www.scottauction.com”
Brian and Tina White are celebrating 30 years ofmarriage. They were married January 4, 1986 at theMoscow Methodist Church in Moscow. Brian and Tinahave three children. Their son Blake is 25, their daughter Emily is 23 and their youngest daughter Maggie is 17. Brian is a local farmer and Tina is a highschool math teacher at Moscow High.
Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. White!
Whites celebrate 30 years
LIN GOODE & COMPANYPLUMBING • ELECTRIC • HEAT & AIR
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Most gas furnaces have one speed. High. Trane’s XV 80, onthe other hand, has a two-stage gas valve and a variable speedblower. Under most conditions it runs at low speed, maintaining adelightfully even level of warmth in your home. At either speed it’sremarkably quiet. And, with over 80%efficiency, extremely economical. Nowhow can you turn down a furnace likethat?
Thursday, January 7Junior High Boys’ Basket-
ball at Hugoton 4:00Friday, January 8
Junior High/High SchoolBasketball at YarbroughMonday, January 11
Junior High Basketball vs.Walsh 4:00Monday, January 11
Weigh-in for the BiggestLoser Contest at Moscow
Grade School at 8:00 a.m.Tuesday, January 12
High School Basketball vs.SyracuseSaturday, January 23
Mike the Hypnotist willperform at the Moscow HighSchool Gym at 7:00 p.m.Free admission is a non-per-ishable food item for ProjectHope.
A nice crowd of peoplegathered at the Moscow Bap-tist Church New Years Eve towelcome in the New Year.Everyone enjoyed the potlucksupper, followed by games ofpitch. Winning high for themen was Duane Williams,Barb Williams held the high
score for the women. RoyStoddard had men's lowscore, and Cheryl Feese thewomen's low score.
A crazy white elephant giftexchange was held with lotsof stealing of gifts. It was a re-ally fun way to bring in theNew Year.
Lorene and Jim Bell werevisited by their daughter andfamily Suzie and Tim Van-Berkum and children, Sarahand Torrey from Huron, S.D.from Tuesday, December 29through Sunday, January 3.Son Allen Bell’s family came
Christmas Day from Flagler,Co. Grandson James stayedwith Jim and Lorene throughJanuary 3. Daughter Trinaand Nick Young were additional guests for a holiday dinner Saturday,January 2.
Pictured above is the Moscow Junior High andHigh School building. In 1994 additions to the high school included six classrooms, a
community room, a district office, restrooms,locker rooms and a new gymnasium.
Moscow’s Early Education Center was addedto the district in 2008, offering preschool classes
and daycare for USD 209’s smallest residents. Jim and Lorene Bell entertainfamily over holiday weekend
Moscow Baptist Church welcomes in the New Year with a potluck supper
Another year has come toa close. Our community hadsome fantastic events hap-pen. The Rolla School re-ceived a check from theKnights of Columbus to helppurchase some special edu-cation playground equip-ment. Marisela Pu won a FireSafety Poster Contest andwas featured in a statewidecalendar. She was also ableto travel to Topeka for thefirst time.
Scholars’ Bowl partici-pated for only the secondyear at Bishop Carroll in Wi-chita and won fourth in theinvitation only tournament.A “King” was crowned queenfor basketball when JanelleKing earned the crown forhomecoming queen. BaleighMunsell of Ulysses, who hasrelatives in Rolla, Hugotonand Elkhart, won the title ofMiss Southwest Kansas andcompeted in Pratt for the titleof Miss Kansas. MariaKroecker won the MortonCounty Spelling Bee. MarcusLight traveled to Israel.
Terry Hull, Mark Hull,Kopen Hull, Dakota Hull andTom Warren had their 15minutes of fame when CassieHull submitted a video to“America’s Funniest HomeVideos” and they were airedon the show. The high schoolScholars’ Bowl team qualifiedfor State once again and was
also the winners of the Questtournament. The memberswho played on the Questteam were Chandler Huddle-ston, Garry Norton, ChandlerBurrows and Henry Wiebe.Senior class members en-joyed a trip to Florida.
A squad of ten cheerlead-ers was chosen to keep theschool spirit alive. Prom cameand went and graduation washere before anyone knew it.The high school golf teamqualified for State for the firsttime and some members ofthe track teams traveled toState to win a few medals.The pool opened with a newmanager and summer was infull swing. Benefit softballtournaments were scheduled,although not all were able tohappen as - for the first timein a long time - rains came!Suddenly, August was hereand college students re-turned to their schools, with
some students changingschools. A new group of sen-iors roamed the halls of Rollaas freshmen tried to learn theropes. Kynsha “NeNe” Greenwas chosen as the footballqueen.
Cross country ended withGarry Norton placing his besttime ever in his final run.Show choir traveled to areaschools for their annual con-cert. Brooke Hinds qualifiedfor Regional KMEA. Basket-ball started and Santa Dayarrived with the man in thered suit handing out giftsonce again. The year 2015was not without heartache aswell but, in true Rolla fash-ion, it was handled with graceand dignity. We miss thosewe have lost, and celebratethose we have gained.
Goodbye, 2015. Hello,2016!
May your year be blessed!
Rolla will host Elkhart Tues-day, February 2 for an excitinggame of basketball. This willalso be Rolla’s “Black Out”night.
Rolla Hope will sponsor thenight and all proceeds raisedwill be split between Rolla andElkhart to help those with can-cer in the two communities.There are three ways you canhelp make this a wonderfulevent.
One, go watch the game. It’sa great way to support the play-ers and the communities. Therewill also be a jar set out for youto place your donations in.
Two, you can play “Pick-A-Player”. You pick a player beforethe game starts and agree topay $1 for every point that
player scores. Three, you could help by
ordering a Rolla Hope t-shirt likethe one pictured below. If youwould like a shirt, please letCassie Thrall or Arleen Cline-smith know as soon as possible.
My name is David Stout. Iwas born in May 1945 andwas raised on a farm a mile-and-a-half north of Rolla, afarm originally homesteadedby my grandparents, Ed andMinnie Stout. They had all fiveof their children there, includ-ing my father, Virgil Stout. Edand Minnie continued to liveon the farm until the end ofWorld War II when my dad re-turned from Europe, Decem-ber 30, 1945. I was aboutseven or eight months oldwhen my dad and mom tookover the farm, and my grand-parents moved into Rolla inthe early part of 1946, justacross the street to the northof the old original Methodistchurch.
My parents died withinmonths of each other aboutten years ago. Some of thestuff I inherited from themwere old pictures and histori-cal records of our family priorto the existence of Rolla. Yousee, it was my dad’s grandpar-ents, Frank and “Lizzie” Stout,who first came to the Rollaarea (before there was a“Rolla”), and they establishedRolla with the help of theirthree sons, Ed, Elver andJohn.
In addition to the physicalrecords and pictures, I alsoheard the stories from myGrandpa Ed Stout and myGreat-uncle Elver about whatit was like when they werekids. It occurred to me that allthis information needed to berecorded somewhere. Other-wise, when I die, all of it will belost. Having said that, I haveto caution the reader that I’mnot pretending to be a histo-rian about these events. I’mnot going to go through all thetrouble of double-checking thestories for factual information- (and this is an importantpoint, because one of the sto-ries my mom used to tellstemmed from her “memory” oflying on the bed with my babysister Sheryl to protect herwhen a tornado hit our farm.The only problem with Mom’smemory was that the tornadohit us in June 1951, and Sherylwasn’t even born yet. Thebaby she was protecting wasmy brother Darrell, then onlythree months old.)
With that caveat in mind,let’s turn our attention to an-other baby that wasn’t yetborn – Rolla.
Frank and Lizzie Stoutweren’t really Kansans. They
were eastern imports. By thatI mean Francis “Frank” Stoutwas born in Iowa and Eliza-beth “Lizzie” Clinesmith wasborn in Ohio. They had awhole buncha’ sons, all bornin Kansas, but the only threewho survived to adulthoodwere: my grandfather EdStout, born in Wilson, County,Kansas, in 1882; and mygreat-uncles Elver Stout, bornin Kingman County, Kansas,in 1884; and John Stout, bornin Kingman County, Kansas,in 1886.
About a year after Johnwas born, Frank and Lizzie de-cided to “Go West, young men,go west!” They packed uptheir covered wagon in 1887and headed west. There isn’t alot we know about this jour-ney except that they stoppedoff in Dodge City. From therethey headed to the southwesttowards Stevens and MortonCounties. According to ourfamily’s narrative, the familyrelated how on this final leg oftheir journey they traveledthrough “black dust”, the re-sult of a prairie fire thatspread from the south andcovered a vast territory withashes settling all over thecountryside.
Now, unlike today, gettingfrom Dodge City to Rolla can’tbe done in an hour-and-a-half. Didja’ ever wonder whythere are so many little townsstrung out about every ten orfifteen miles or so betweenElkhart and Dodge City?Starting with Elkhart, the nextlittle place is Wilburton, thenRolla, Feterita after Rolla, thenHugoton. I don’t know, but Isuspect the reason for thiswas because a covered wagoncould only travel about ten orfifteen miles before it had tostop for the night. The pointbeing, it probably took thefamily about a week or tendays to get from Dodge City towhere they finally decided toclaim their land.
This is the point where weget into some personal stories.Grandpa Stout was only fiveyears old, but he rememberedarriving in Morton County andtold me the thing he was moststruck by was how tall thegrass was. Everywhere helooked, there was nothing buttall grass.
But I can’t help but wonderhow tall the grass was. Keepin mind, he was only five yearsold. If the grass came halfwayup his body, then it wouldhave been only about 18”high. If it was over his head,then it could have been sev-eral feet high.
In any case, that wasGrandpa’s first impression ofsouthwestern Kansas: tallgrass.
More in later installments
The Hugoton Hermes Thursday, January 7, 2016 Page 8
January 8- High School Basketball at
Fowler 4:00 p.m.- High School Scholars’ Bowl
leaves for Wichita- School in Session
January 9- High School Scholars’ Bowl
at Bishop Carroll 9:00 a.m.January 11
- Junior High Basketball vs
South Baca 4:30 p.m.- Board of Education Meeting
at 6:30 p.m.January 12
- Junior High/High SchoolBasketball at Balko. JuniorHigh at 4:00 p.m. and HighSchool at 6:30 p.m.January 13
- Rolla Recreation Meeting6:30 p.m.
Rolla News��������������
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Monday to Friday
Rolla Doctors Office
“The Birthing of Rolla in the Tall Grass”Part 2 from David Stout
Left to right are Francis “Frank” David Stout,Ed Stout, John Stout, Elver Stout and Elizabeth
Rolla will host Elkhart for “BlackOut” Night Tuesday, February 2
Food drive isplanned forthis Saturday
The Boy Scouts of Rolla aredoing a food drive Saturday,January 9 for the PentecostalHoliness Church Wednesdaynight community dinners.They feed over 70 familiesevery Wednesday, and theboys want to see it keep going.
The boys will be at Em-manuel Baptist Church from10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. fordrop off and they will go doorto door from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.If you have any questions,please contact Trina Fosdickor Georgina Brown.
Remembering Rolla’s 2015
Celebrate RHS’s WinterHomecoming January 15
Friday, January 15 will beRolla’s homecoming gamesagainst the Deerfield Spar-tans. First National Bank ofElkhart/Rolla and PioneerElectric of Ulysses have gen-erously provided a buyout forthe evening’s games. The jun-ior class will be serving
chicken and noodles, mashedpotatoes, and rolls as theirmeal. The Booster Club willbe hosting their silent auc-tion. And a queen shall becrowned!
Come out Friday, January15 and enjoy the homecom-ing festivities!
Junior Highwill face SouthBaca Monday
Boosters plansilent auction
The Rolla Booster Club willonce again host a silent auc-tion during the homecomingbasketball games Friday,January 15 against Deer-field. If you have anythingyou would like to donate,please contact Melody Ellis orToni Easterwood. Your helpis greatly appreciated!
Monday, January 11, theRolla Junior High Pirates willbe playing against SouthBaca in the Pirate Arena. Thejunior class will be servingdelicious taquitos, beans andrice for the meal. Come outfor supper and stay to cheeron the Pirates.
Rolla Hope shirts are availablenow! Order yours today.
Start the New Year off right . . .with a subscription to
TheHugoton
Hermes$30/yr Local
$35/yr Non-Local
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World Heritage Interna-tional Student Exchange Pro-gram (WH) is seekingrepresentatives to work withvolunteer host families and in-ternational exchange studentsin your community. WH pro-vides academic year and se-mester exchange programs inthe United States for highschool students from aroundthe world. Students are l5 to18 years of age, have passed aseries of academic and char-acter requirements and areawaiting an opportunity toembark on their American ad-venture. Local Representativesalso have the opportunity tosupport American high schoolstudents in their journeyabroad.
Area Representatives re-cruit and screen prospectivehost families, supervise theexchange students in theircommunity throughout theyear, and interview Americanstudents who wish to live andlearn abroad. Area Represen-tatives are compensatedbased on the number of stu-dents they are supervising.
WH's primary goal is tocontribute to international un-derstanding by enabling stu-dents to learn about otherlanguages and culturesthrough active participation infamily, school and communitylife. Through sharing theirhome, host families and com-munities also gain new knowl-edge and appreciation of othercultures and languages. WH'sArea Representatives are thecornerstone of the organiza-tion, making all of this possi-ble!
For more information aboutWorld Heritage or becomingan Area Representative, please
call the World Heritage Officeat 949-342-1777 or 1-800-888-9040, email us atinfo@world-her itage.org or goto host.world-heritage.org tolearn more. World Heritage
looks forward to welcomingyou to the ranks of Area Rep-resentatives nationwide -striving towards a world of un-derstanding, one child at atime!
The Hugoton Hermes Thursday, January 7, 2016 Page 9
While the national averageprice of regular unleadedgasoline in 2015 was $2.40per gallon, the second cheap-est annual average of the pastten years, the Kansas averagewas $2.25, the cheapest an-nual average in Kansas since2005. This year’s annualKansas average was 94 centsper gallon less than 2014, adiscount on the 2014 averageof 29 percent.
AAA estimates Americanssaved more than $115 billionon gasoline this year com-pared to 2014, which was anaverage of more than $550per licensed driver.
The Kansas annual aver-age price of gas in recentyears was $3.19 - 2014, $3.39- 2013, $3.47 - 2012, $3.42 -2011, $2.70 - 2010 and $2.26- 2009.
The most expensive dailyKansas average of the yearwas $2.67 per gallon July 22,while the lowest was $1.75per gallon December 28.
Fuel prices remained rela-tively low throughout the yeardue to a worldwide glut incrude oil. There was morethan enough oil to meet de-mand around the world, andthat allowed oil prices to dropto the lowest levels since 2005in Kansas.Kansas Average Gas Prices
Close Out the Year at$1.76 per Gallon
Monday’s Kansas averageprice of gas was $1.76 per gal-lon, which was the lowest av-erage for New Year’s Eve since2008 ($1.53). Monday’s aver-age was 24 cents per gallonless than a year ago.
The Kansas average pricefor gas in December was$1.81, the lowest Decemberaverage in Kansas since 2008- $1.58.
Gas prices are lower than$2 per gallon in most parts ofthe country. About 71 percentof U.S. stations are selling gasfor less than $2 per gallon,and drivers can find at leastone station selling gas for lessthan $2 in 47 states.
Monday, the highest pricecity average in Kansas was atJohnson - $2.049 per gallon,and the lowest price city aver-age was at Haven and Hes-ston - $1.589 per gallon. Thecheapest one percent of sta-tions in the country are sell-ing gas for an average of$1.56 per gallon, and morethan 16,000 stations acrossthe country are selling gas forless than $1.75 per gallon.
The five states with thelowest average prices Mondayincluded the following states:Missouri - $1.72, Oklahoma -$1.75, South Carolina -$1.75, Arkansas - $1.75; Ten-nessee - $1.755. Kansas is at$1.759.
The five states with thehighest prices Monday in-cluded the following: Califor-nia - $2.85, Hawaii - $2.69,Nevada - $2.51, Washington -$2.47 and Alaska - $2.47.Drivers May Pay Even Less
for Gasoline in 2016Gas prices are likely to re-
main relatively low in 2016.AAA estimates the annual av-erage price of gas in 2016 islikely to end up between$2.25 and $2.45 per gallon,which would be cheaper or at
least comparable to this year’saverage of $2.40 per gallon.
Based on typical seasonaltrends, the national averageprice of gas could remain rel-atively flat or drop another tencents per gallon over the nextfew weeks. By late winter, thenational average could rise 50cents per gallon or more as re-fineries conduct seasonalmaintenance in advance ofthe busy summer driving sea-son. Despite the likelihood ofhigher prices by spring, AAAdoes not expect the nationalaverage price of gas to riseabove $3 per gallon in 2016.
Regional gas prices willcontinue to vary dramaticallyaround the country in 2016.Problems with local refineryproduction, especially duringspring maintenance and thebusy summer driving season,could temporarily send re-gional gas prices much higherthan the national average.Just as in 2015, it is possiblesome areas could see priceshigher than $3 per gallon.
There is significant uncer-tainty over the potential costof crude oil in 2016, thoughmost analysts expect the mar-ket will remain oversuppliedthroughout the year. Therecurrently is a glut of crude oilaround the world that hasgrown faster than demand,and that situation is unlikelyto change significantly asIranian oil enters the market-place and because the globaleconomy is growing at a rela-tively weak pace.
It is possible gas pricescould rise higher than ex-pected if there are significant
changes in the oil markets.Some analysts have predictedthat low prices will signifi-cantly limit oil production inthe United States and in otherhigher-cost production coun-tries, which could allow sup-ply and demand to rebalanceby the end of 2016. Alterna-tively, it also is possible polit-ical events and conflict couldunexpectedly disrupt oil pro-duction. Either of these possi-bilities could lead to higherthan predicted oil and gaso-line prices for Kansas and therest of the country.
To find prices for anyKansas community, visitwww.aaa.com, click on the“Fuel Resources” tab at thebottom of the home page,then the “Fuel Price Finder”tab on the page that follows.
To learn the latest informa-tion about gas prices and tosee prices across the countryvisit AAA’s Fuel Gauge Report.For those planning vacationsand long weekend getaways,find out how much to budgetfor gas on your trip at AAA’sFuel Cost Calculator – simplyenter the destination cityalong with the make, modeland year of your vehicle andlet the calculator run thenumbers for you using themost current gas prices avail-able. Motorists can find cur-rent gas prices along theirroute with the free AAA Mobileapp for iPhone, iPad and An-droid. The app can also beused to map a route, find dis-counts, book a hotel and ac-cess AAA roadside assistance.Learn more at AAA.com/mobile.
The Federal Aviation Ad-ministration’s (FAA) SmallUnmanned Aircraft System(UAS) registry went live De-cember 21. Please check theagency’s home page atwww.faa.gov for updates.
In preparation for register-ing online, each owner mustprovide his or her name,home address and e-mail ad-dress. Upon completion ofregistration, the web applica-tion will generate a Certificateof Aircraft Registration/Proofof Ownership including aunique identification numberfor the UAS owner, whichmust be marked on the air-craft.
Owners using the modelaircraft for hobby or recre-ation will only have to regis-ter once and may use thesame identification numberfor all of their model UAS.The registration is valid forthree years.
Registration is free forthe first 30 days, then $5after that.
By statute, all aircraftweighing more than 0.55pounds and less than 55pounds, including payloadssuch as on-board cameras,must be registered.
Under this rule, ownerswho previously operated anunmanned aircraft exclu-
sively as a model aircraftprior to December 21, 2015,must register no later thanFebruary 19, 2016. Ownersof any other UAS purchasedfor use as a model aircraftafter December 21, 2015must register before thefirst flight outdoors. Own-ers may use either the paper-based process or the newstreamlined, Web-based sys-tem. Owners using the newstreamlined Web-based sys-tem must be at least 13 yearsold to register.
The FAA has partneredwith several industry associ-ations to educate the publicabout using unmanned air-craft safely and responsibly.Remember these rules whenyou fly: • Fly below 400 feet altitude.• Keep your unmanned air-craft in sight at all times.• Never fly near manned air-craft, especially near air-ports.• Never fly over groups ofpeople, stadiums or sportingevents.• Never fly near emergencyresponse efforts.
Working together, we cankeep the skies safe for every-one.
Submitted by the FederalAviation Association.
The Kansas Department ofAgriculture (KDA) encouragesKansans who use firewood toheat their homes to considerusing local firewood to helpprevent the spread of tree dis-eases and pests.
While it may seem harm-less on the surface, trans-porting firewood can pose athreat to healthy, pest-freetrees across the state ofKansas. Tree-killing insectsand diseases can lurk inwhat appears to be harmlessfirewood. Even if the exteriorof the firewood appears to behealthy, microscopic fungalspores or pin-head sized in-sect eggs could be lurking inthe wood. These pests anddiseases can emerge beforethe wood is burned and infest
trees in additional locations.KDA recommends avoiding
long distance transportationof untreated firewood due tothe threat of Emerald AshBorer (EAB), ThousandCankers Disease of Walnut,and Pine Wilt. Douglas, Jef-ferson, Johnson, Leaven-worth and Wyandottecounties all prohibit thetransportation of hardwoodfirewood out of the contigu-ous boundary of their countyborders to help prevent thespread of EAB. This insectdisrupts the tree’s ability totransport water and nutri-ents, causing it to die. EABand other harmful diseases,including Thousand Cankersof Walnut and Pine Wilt are ofconcern to homeowners and
foresters. Jeff Vogel, KDAPlant Protection and WeedControl program manager,says Kansas citizens play animportant role in helping toslow the movement of thesepests and diseases.
“It is imperative to takeinitiative when moving fire-wood,” said Vogel. “Prevent-ing destructive pests isimportant not only for thehealth of our trees, but alsofor our economy.”
The United States ForestService estimates that from2009 to 2019 the response toeliminating the EAB will costas much as $10.7 billion.
KDA is committed to serv-ing Kansas farmers, ranchersand agribusinesses, and toprotecting the state’s natural
resources. To learn moreabout the facts and generalinformation of firewood trans-portation, visit http://agriculture.ks.gov/divisions-programs/plant-protect-weed-control/firewood.
Kansas Attorney GeneralDerek Schmidt has launcheda statewide project to collectinformation about how mari-juana acquired in Colorado isentering and affectingKansas.
Since Colorado’s widelypublicized decision more thanthree years ago to “legalize”acquisition and possession ofsmall amounts of marijuanaunder its state law, Kansaslaw enforcement agencieshave consistently reportedencounters in Kansas involv-ing marijuana acquired inColorado. Existing criminaljustice information systemsare inadequate to track thephenomenon because they donot collect information aboutthe origin of marijuana en-countered by Kansas law en-forcement, and they cannotreadily be modified to do so.
“There are numerous andpersistent anecdotal accountsof marijuana acquired in Col-orado and illegally trans-ported into Kansas causingharm here,” Schmidt said.“But because of technologylimits, the confirming data iselusive. Since Colorado’s ex-periment with legalization isaffecting Kansas, we need toknow more about what is ac-tually happening here so pol-icymakers can makeinformed decisions.”
Under the authority ofK.S.A. 21-2504(a), which al-lows the attorney general togather statistics about poten-tial crimes and circum-stances surrounding them,
Schmidt has sent a requestfor information to all countyand district attorneys, sher-iffs and chiefs of policethroughout the state survey-ing them about their experi-ence with Coloradomarijuana in their jurisdic-tions. More than 500 surveyswere distributed last week.
Schmidt said when surveyresponses are received andcompiled later this spring, hewill make them publicly avail-able so the data can be eval-uated by the public, by lawenforcement officials and bypolicymakers. A copy of thesurvey distributed to countyand district attorneys is avail-able at http://go.usa.gov/c5uRe, and a copy of thesurvey distributed to sheriffsand police chiefs is availableat http://go.usa.gov/c5umV
Anecdotal reports of thetypes of problems Kansas lawenforcement has encounteredwith marijuana brought fromColorado include the follow-ing: people driving under theinfluence of Colorado mari-juana, distribution in Kansasof edible food products lacedwith marijuana from Col-orado, people who “bundle”marijuana acquired in Col-orado into larger amountsand transport it into Kansasfor illicit resale and distribu-tion, and increased Kansasjuvenile access to marijuanaproducts. While the reportshave been more numerousfrom counties near Colorado,they have come fromthroughout the state.
Although possession andsale of marijuana remains il-legal nationwide under fed-eral law, the U.S. Departmentof Justice has elected not tofully enforce federal law instates like Colorado that have“legalized” marijuana undertheir state law. However, fed-eral enforcement guidelinesstate that federal enforcementremains appropriate if mari-juana from states like Colorado comes into sur-rounding states and causesharm. Kansas state law pro-hibits the possession or dis-tribution of marijuana.
Nebraska and Oklahomahave sued Colorado in theU.S. Supreme Court, pointingto harm caused in thosestates by the illegal importa-tion of marijuana from Colorado. The Supreme Courthas not yet stated whether itwill hear the case. Kansashas not joined in that legalchallenge, although Schmidtsaid his office continues tocarefully monitor the case.
“We’re approaching thisunprecedented situation me-thodically so we can assessand then, if needed, addressthe actual problems,”Schmidt said. “We need datathat shows what is actuallyhappening in Kansas as theresult of Colorado’s experi-ment. In my view, any response needs to bethoughtful and informed byfactual data, not emotions.”
Submitted by the Office ofThe Attorney General.
AG seeks information about marijuana transported across Colorado line
Buy local firewood to prevent spread of tree disease
AAA announces average gas price is lowest in Kansas since 2005
FAA small unmanned aircraftregistration is now underway
Non-profit seeks community members
Here is an up-to-date chart showing the flow of national gasprices over the past several years compared to the current year.
Kansas Governor SamBrownback December 16proclaimed January to beHuman Trafficking Aware-ness Month. GovernorBrownback was joined by At-torney General DerekSchmidt; Secretary Lana Gor-don, Kansas Department ofLabor; and Secretary SusanMosier, M.D., MBA, FACS,Kansas Department of Healthand Environment, in issuingtoday’s proclamation.
“I take seriously the fightagainst human trafficking, “Governor Sam Brownbacksaid. “We have trained morethan 500 child welfare profes-sionals about human traf-ficking rings making Kansasa national model for prevent-ing this horrendous crime.We must change the percep-tion that the youth andadults who are trafficked arecriminals. They are not. Theyare victims of a terriblecrime.”
Human trafficking, a mod-ern form of slavery, is one ofthe largest and fastest-grow-ing criminal industries in theworld. It is based on recruit-ing, harboring and transport-ing people for the purpose ofexploitation. Both sex traf-ficking and labor traffickingoccur in Kansas and bothadults and children are vic-tims. Kansas’ location and in-terstate system make it amajor transportation area forvictims of human trafficking.
“Our office remains com-mitted to efforts to thwartcriminal activity, hold ac-countable both traffickersand buyers, and provide vic-tim support. Awareness isalso an important part ofcombating human traffick-ing,” Kansas Attorney Gen-eral Derek Schmidt said. “Thepublic can assist by reportingsuspicious activity to the na-tional hotline at 888-3737-888 or to local lawenforcement in an emergencysituation. The watchful eyesof Kansas citizens can helpprotect those who are vulner-able from this crime againsthuman dignity.”
“The Kansas Departmentfor Children and Families isproud to work closely withother State agencies to growthe awareness of this unfor-tunate reality in Kansas. Noone deserves to be a victim ofhuman trafficking,” said Sec-retary Phyllis Gilmore. “Ourstaff is trained to watch forsigns of human trafficking ofchildren and work with localauthorities to promptly andsafely address it. We can allplay a part in ending thiscrime in our state, by know-ing how to identify humantrafficking and reporting it.”
The 2013 Kansas humantrafficking laws define com-mercial exploitation of chil-dren, which does not requirea showing of force, fraud,threat or coercion and refer-
ences the existing statutorydefinition of human traffick-ing and aggravated humantrafficking.
“The legislators strength-ened our ability to prosecutelabor traffickers, but it is stilla big problem,” KDOL Secre-tary Lana Gordon said.“While we have made im-mense strides with the bill,we cannot stop there andneed to continue fighting.Nearly 20 percent of traffick-ing involves labor exploita-tion. If you or someone youknow is working under unfair
conditions, please report it.”Labor trafficking is the re-
cruitment, harboring, trans-portation, provision orobtaining of a person forlabor or services, through theuse of force, fraud or coer-cion.
“The Kansas Departmentof Health and Environment(KDHE) is committed to edu-cating child care and healthcare providers about thewarning signs of human traf-ficking and how and where toreport suspected activity,”said Dr. Susan Mosier, Secre-
tary of KDHE. “These effortsare important to help stophuman trafficking in ourstate.”
The Governor along withthe Attorney General’s office,DCF, KDHE, KDOC andKDOL are working together toeducate Kansans about thepresence of human traffick-ing, what to look for and howto report suspected humantrafficking. Educational infor-mation is provided on theagencies’ websites.
“The Kansas Departmentof Corrections is working
closely with other state agen-cies to address human traf-ficking in Kansas bysupporting those who havebeen victimized and incarcer-ating those found guilty in aneffort to prevent future vic-timization,” Secretary RayRoberts said.
For more information onHuman Trafficking go tohttp://ag.ks.gov/human-trafficking.
Submitted by the KansasOffice of the Attorney General.
The Hugoton Hermes Thursday, January 7, 2016 Page 10
Governor announces January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month in Kansas
Sorghum, Not Just for Animals
In this part of the countrywe think of grain sorghum(also known as milo) as some-thing to be used as feed foranimals, but sorghum is find-ing its way into the grocerystore aisles, in part due to thepopularity of gluten freefoods. Because its proteincontent is higher than cornand about equal to wheat, itprovides a good flour substi-tute. Sorghum is ground,cracked, steam flaked,and/or roasted and can becooked like rice, made intoporridge, malted for beer,baked into flatbreads andpopped like popcorn. For ex-ample, I believe milo dough-nuts are a staple at the HomeProducts Dinner in Ulysses
each year.Being gluten-free isn´t
sorghum´s only braggingright. It´s also a whole grainthat provides many other nu-tritional benefits. Sorghum,which doesn't have an inedi-ble hull like some othergrains, is commonly eatenwith all its outer layers,thereby retaining the majorityof its nutrients. Some spe-cialty sorghums are high inantioxidants, which are be-lieved to help lower the risk ofcancer, diabetes, heart dis-ease and some neurologicaldiseases. In addition, the waxsurrounding the sorghumgrain contains compoundscalled policosanols, that mayhave an impact on humancardiac health. Some re-searchers, in fact, believe that
policosanols have cholesterol-lowering potency comparableto that of statins.
You can also substitutesorghum in your existingrecipes. Start with recipesthat use relatively smallamounts of wheat flour, suchas brownies or pancakes.Substituting sorghum takessome experimenting and pa-tience, but the results can bevery delicious. In substitutingsorghum flour for wheat flourin recipes, a combination offlours often is used. It is pos-sible to purchase already-mixed all-purpose gluten-freebaking flours. Or you can mixyour own - following are threesubstitution possibilitieswhich include sorghum flour.Because sorghum does notcontain gluten, a "binder"
such as xanthan gum, mustbe added when gluten isneeded to create a successfulproduct. Addone-half teaspoon xanthangum per cup of sorghum flourfor cookies and cakes or oneteaspoon per cup of flour forbreads. Other ingredientsused as binders in somerecipes include egg whites,unflavored gelatin, corn-starch and guar gum.
Store sorghum flour inmoisture-vapor-proof, air-tight glass or metal contain-ers, or plastic freezer bags.Keep in a cool, dry, darkplace if it will be used withina few months; store in a re-frigerator or freezer for longerstorage.
“Notes From Nancy”by Stevens County FACS Agent Nancy Honig
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(First Published in The Hugoton Her-mes, Thursday, December 31, 2015) 3t
IN THE DISTRICT COURT OFSTEVENS COUNTY, KANSAS
IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OFMary White, deceased,
CASE NO. 15-PR-49
NOTICE OF HEARING AND NOTICETO CREDITORS
THE STATE OF KANSAS TO ALL PER-SONS CONCERNED:
You are hereby notified that a Pe-tition was been filed in this Court byLillian Seaman, an heir, devisee andlegatee, and executor named in theLast Will and Testament of MaryWhite, deceased, dated June 20,2013, requesting the Will filed withthe Petition be admitted to probateand record; petitioner be appointed asExecutor, without bond; and peti-tioner be granted Letters Testamen-tary.
You are required to file your writ-
ten defenses thereto on or before Jan-uary 22, 2016, at 9:30 A.M. in theDistrict Court in the City of Hugoton,Stevens County, Kansas, at whichtime and place the cause will beheard. Should you fail to file yourwritten defenses, judgment and de-cree will be entered in due courseupon the Petition.
All creditors are notified to exhibittheir demands against the Estatewithin the latter of four months fromthe date of first publication of noticeunder K.S.A. 59-2236 and amend-ments thereto, or if the identity of thecreditor is known or reasonably as-certainable, 30 days after actual no-tice was given as provided by law, andif their demands are not thus exhib-ited, they shall be forever barred.
Lillian Seaman, Petitioner
James A. Kuharic, #08952Brollier, Wolf & KuharicBox 39, Hugoton, KS 67951(620) 544-8555Attorney for Petitioner
(First Published in The Hugoton Her-mes, Thursday, Janaury 7, 2016) 3t
DISTRICT COURT OF STEVENSCOUNTY STATE OF KANSAS
IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF:Zelma Frances Colvin, DECEASED.
Case No. 14-PR-47
NOTICE OF HEARING
The State of Kansas To All PersonsConcerned:
You are notified that a petition hasbeen filed in this Court by JamesHarold Allen, duly appointed, quali-fied and acting Executor of the Estateof Zelma Frances Colvin, deceased, re-questing that Petitioner's acts be ap-proved; account be settled andallowed; the heirs be determined; theWill be construed and the Estate beassigned to the persons entitledthereto; the Court find the allowancesrequested for attorneys' fees and ex-penses are reasonable and should be
allowed; the costs be determined andordered paid; the administration ofthe Estate be closed; upon the filing ofreceipts the Petitioner be finally dis-charged as the Executor of the Estateof Zelma Frances Colvin, deceased,and the Petitioner be released fromfurther liability. You are required tofile your written defenses to the peti-tion on or before January 29, 2016, at9:30 a.m. in the District Court, inHugoton, Stevens County, Kansas, atwhich time and place the cause will beheard. Should you fail to file yourwritten defenses, judgment and de-cree will be entered in due courseupon the petition.
(First Published in The Hugoton Her-mes, Thursday, January 7, 2016) 1t
BEFORE THE STATE CORPORATION COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF KANSAS
NOTICE OF FILING APPLICATION
RE: AMERICAN WARRIOR, INC. – Ap-plication for an exception to the 10year time limitation of K.A.R. 82-3-11from the Marcellus Glen 2-C well (akaGlen Marcellus ‘C’ 2), located inStevens County, Kansas.
TO: All Oil and Gas Producers, Un-leased Mineral Interest Owners,Landowners, and all persons whoso-ever concerned.
You, and each of you, are herebynotified that American Warrior, Inc.has filed for an exception to the 10year time limitation of K.A.R. 82-3-11for the Marcellus Glen 2-C well (akaGlen Marcellus ‘C’ 2), located in SW/4of Section 25-32S-35W, StevensCounty, Kansas.
Any persons who object to orprotest this application shall be re-quired to file their objections orprotests with the Conservation Divi-sion of the State Corporation Com-mission of the State of Kansas withinfifteen (15) days from the date of thepublication. These protests shall befiled pursuant to Commission regula-tions and must state specific reasonswhy the grant of the application maycause waste, violate correlative rightsor pollute the natural resources of thestate of Kansas. If no protests are re-ceived, this application may begranted through a summary proceed-ing. If valid protest are received, thismatter will be set for hearing.
All persons interested or con-cerned shall take notice of the forego-ing and shall govern themselvesaccordingly.
American Warrior, Inc.P.O. Box 399
Garden City, Kansas 67846620/ 275-9231
PUBLIC NOTICE
�������������� ��������� ���� ������A newspaper doesn’t mind if it gets wet in therain - or at the beach. It folds to fit those crannies in your suitcase and doesn’t mind ifyou have to sit on the suitcase to get it closed.It provides shelter from the sun for that napin the park. It won’t wake you up with thosefunky ring-tones.
The Hugoton Hermes Thursday, January 7, 2016 Page 12
Get your subscription today!Stevens County and surrounding
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The Hugoton Hermes620-544-4321
Wow, it’s 2016, what hap-pened? The New Year presentsmany opportunities to moveforward and concentrate ongrowth for Hugoton andSteven’s County. I have lots ofideas but need help setting ourgoals for this year.
I would like to start off withan invitation for comments,concerns and suggestions forthe Hugoton Area Chamber ofCommerce. What would youlike to see, what events do youmiss, and what can we do topromote your business? Whyhave you not joined the Cham-ber? What should we offer tohelp change your mind? Give acall, email or comment on theFacebook page.
I am asked a lot what exactlythe Chamber Director does andwhat the Chamber is so, if youcan help me in figuring thatout, it would be great!
No really, I am creating goalsfor the year which, once I re-
ceive some feedback from thecommunity, I will publish onthe January Chamber Page inThe Hermes, our FacebookPage and in the newsletter, soplease use those avenues orstop in to give me your two orthree cents worth - a snack orDr. Pepper would be great, too.
As I think about New Year’sresolutions I like to read andponder the words of greatAmerican writer Mark Twain ashe stated, “New Year’s is aharmless annual institution, ofno particular use to anybodysave as a scapegoat for promis-cuous drinks, friendly calls andhumbug resolutions.”
It is great to have goals, butleave wiggle room and don’tbeat yourself up if you slip up,even though it is only the firstweek of January. If you havemessed up by now, face it, youaren’t gonna do it. Here aresome crazy, comical and catchyresolutions for 2016 that I
found online for your weeklyChamber Chuckle. These arequoted directly from readers’submissions.1. “I resolve to continue to beprefect in my studies at thelocal university” (I am fairly surehe meant “perfect”).2. “I will spend less time inter-acting with people and moretime communicating by phoneand social media.” (This onemust have been popular lastyear.)3. “I will NOT date any VictoriaSecret models.” (I bet he hasthis one spot on.)4. “I will not bore my boss any-more with the same excusesbut create new ones for being
late or taking days off.”5. “I will work with neglectedchildren, MINE.”6. “Draw up a list of people whowere nasty to me in the pastyear, and get even.”7. “Eat more nice things likesweets, hamburgers, popcornand ice cream. Eat less healthyfood.”8. “I resolve not to swim in anyswimming pool without water.”9. ”I will not run while jugglingknives anymore.”10. “I will not pillow fight with abag of spare change.”11. “I will no longer showerwhile making toast on the edgeof my bathtub.”
��������������������������� �������������������Hugoton CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
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Happy New Year to every-one! Thank you to all who at-tended our New Year’s Evedance! It was a huge success!Also, we appreciate all thosewho donated prizes, etc.:Hansen-Mueller, First NationalBank and Pioneer Communi-cations.
If you missed our NewYear’s Eve dance, please try toattend our dance coming upthis Saturday, January 9. Weare excited to have the 4-Hersas our sponsor. They will beproviding the food, prom pho-tos, and admission cost. Okla-homa Cowboy and Texas Ladywill be playing live countrymusic from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.
This Saturday is Sew AllDay beginning at 8:30 a.m.Also, the canasta players havetheir pot luck at 6:00 p.m. and
play cards afterwards.We deliver lunch Monday
through Friday to homeboundpeople. If you are in need ofour services or you knowsomeone who is, please call theSenior Center. We will give youinformation about cost,menus, etc.
Senator Pat Roberts’ officeis available to assist you withproblems you may be havingwith federal agencies like So-cial Security, Veterans’/VA is-sues, military cases, Medicare,passports, and IRS. If you needhelp, please call his Dodge Cityoffice at 620-227-2244.
If you have questions con-cerning caregiving, legal mat-ters, disability, healthinsurance, housing, etc.,please call Michael Johnstonat Southwest Kansas AreaAgency on Aging at 620-225-8240.
ActivitiesThursday, January 7Exercise ...................10:30 a.m.Friday, January 8Exercise ...................10:30 a.m.Saturday, January 9Sew All Day................8:30 a.m.Cards & Games .........6:00 p.m.Dance.........................7:00 p.m.
...........Oklahoma Cowboy & ..............Texas Lady will play
Monday, January 11Exercise....................10:30 a.m.Line Dancing..............7:00 p.m.Tuesday, January 12Exercise....................10:30 a.m.Wednesday, January 13Exercise....................10:30 a.m.Paint...........................1:00 p.m.Thursday, January 14Exercise ...................10:30 a.m.
Sometimes, the perfect giftis one you get to pick outyourself. If you’re one of thethousands of Kansans whofound a gift card in yourstocking, you now have theopportunity to choose yourown perfect gift!
Unfortunately, these giftcards do carry some fineprint in how they can beused. Here are some things tokeep in mind as you spendthose holiday gifts:• Under Kansas law, giftcards cannot expire for atleast five years. If the giftcard does not have an expira-tion date printed on the card,then it is good until you re-deem it, no matter how longthat is.• Merchants can begincharging inactivity fees
against the card’s balance 12months after the card is is-sued. These fees are requiredto be printed on the card orthe packaging it comes in.• Pre-paid bank cards – theones issued by a bank orcredit card company, not bya specific store – can, andusually do, charge additionalfees for purchasing the card,and on the balance.• Be aware that even withlegal protections in place, thevalue of a gift card may belost if the store goes out ofbusiness before the card isused.
You should also rememberto keep unused gift cards ina safe location. Treat themlike cash. Unlike credit cards,if a gift card is lost or stolen,it can be difficult to prove thecard belonged to you. Someretailers will allow you to reg-
ister your card online, whichprotects the value of the cardif something does happen.
If you happen to receive acard for a place where you donot shop, it is unlikely thatthe retailer will let you ex-change your card for cash.However, there are Web sitesthat allow you to sell or ex-change your unwanted giftcards. Use caution whendealing with these onlinesites to be sure you don’t be-come a victim of fraud. Youcan also consider donatingyour unwanted gift cards to alocal charity, especially cardsfor grocery, clothing or de-partment stores.
For more consumer tips orto file a complaint, visit ourconsumer protection Website at www.InYourCornerKansas.org or give us a call at1-800-432-2310.
by Kansas Attorney General Derek SchmidtConsumer Corner
Haley Rust, granddaughter of Hugoton’s Dana Swan, carefullyfeeds an animal at Featherdale Wildlife Park in Australia.Haley’s roommate at K-State during her sophomore year wasfrom Sydney, and Haley is visiting the continent. Haley com-mented, “[Mom and Dad] don’t have to stress because it’s notthe Aussie men that I’m falling in love with or bringing home . . .”Maybe she’s scouting new pets for the Rust household!
